Her
by Krys723
Summary: She left Woodcrest when I was thirteen, but she didn't re-enter my life until she was twenty-three and engaged. I hated that him, he think just because he was famous, she belonged to him. I knew her longer than him, I loved her before she left…I just wished I told her first. RFxCMP, HFxJDF, MCxOC. Read and review!
1. Prologue (Ten Years Later)

**Her**

**Krys723**

**SUMMARY: She left Woodcrest when I was thirteen, but she didn't re-enter my life until she was twenty-three and engaged. I hated that nigga, he think just because she was famous, she belonged to me. I knew her longer than him, I knew her when we were doing fundraisers together. Whenever I was mad, she was there, I loved her before she left…I just wished I told her before she left.**

**AGES:**

**Riley- 13 (Prologue); 23**

**Cindy-13 (Prologue); 23**

**Huey & Jazmine- 25**

**Caesar-24 (turning 25 later)**

**Sean Jameson (New Character)-26**

**Phoebe Leeman (New Character)-24**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't anything **_**Boondocks**_** related, but I do own my own characters. That's just something you should know.**

* * *

**Prologue**

**Ten Years Ago**

_Setting: _The Hill, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

_Date_: May 27TH, 2010

_Time_: 2:30 A.M.

_Riley Freeman_…

I yawned as I sat down at the top of the Hill. I didn't know what the fuck Cindy's problem is, calling a nigga at 4:30 in the morning and telling them to meet me at the Hill in an hour. I had to force my ass up, put some damn clothes on (can't a nigga just sleep in boxers and a tee), and climb down my window. I know Granddad's ass might start some shit if I walked in the door at six A.M. I could hear his damn ass now;

"_**BOY! **__Where the hell have you been?! Can't keep your ass in the house for one damn night, spending all your damn time with those dumbasses!"_ I rolled my eyes as the thought crossed my mind, he didn't consider Ed and Rummy dumbasses when I was younger, but then Mr. Wuncler died around Christmastime and there was currently a running for mayor. It was between Thomas DuBois and some white dude whose name I forgot. If Mr. DuBois won, then Huey would really hate him even though I know the only reason he tolerates Mr. DuBois is because he has a crush on Jazmine, even if he didn't want to admit it. Everybody knew it; he was just too damn stubborn to admit it. As I made my way up the Hill, I wondered why Cindy had fucking called me so early. She sounded sad; she got straight to the point and then hung up. She never huge up right away, I've known the girl since we were eight. At first I hated her ass, she thought she was better at basketball, but I shut her ass up after a game of one on one.

We been friends since, but we got closer after that whole fundraiser bullshit. We never talked about that shit, the way things went down in the end made me not want to even think about it. As the years went by; Cindy's obsession with Diddy turned into an obsession into Wiz Khalifa and Pharrell, her love for basketball continue to grow, and just as she turned thirteen; she started puberty. She was only a 'B' cup for now, but she started growing curves that would put a black woman to shame. Jazmine DuBois did it too, but Cindy showed hers off more.

Just thinking about it made me smile, Cindy and I were known for fooling around; but I never told her how much I liked her. She was real, unlike these other girls who'll throw themselves at a nigga, no matter how old they were. I saw a grown woman throw herself at Huey as we were walking back from the movies last Saturday. I mean, damn. I know the nigga almost six feet, but he was still almost sixteen.

"Hey." I looked up as Cindy MacPhearson walk towards me at the Hill. This area was secluded and known by only five people. Besides Huey and I (who found it); Jazmine, Cindy, and Huey's boy Caesar knew about this place. We called it The Hill because it overlooked all of Wuncler, especially Woodcrest.

Cindy was wearing a Dallas Mavericks jersey (only because the colors were dark blue and white) with a white tee underneath and a pair of black jeans that showed off her curves. Her blonde hair—which used to be almost as long as Rapunzel's—was now shorter, but she was still able to tie it in a ponytail. Her icy blue eyes had a hint of sadness to them. It was dark, but the streetlights around the Hill made it possible for me to see her silhouette. She didn't look happy either.

"What's up, girl? Why the hell did you call me out here so late?" I asked her as she sat down beside me. "Isn't this something you could've told me in the morning?"

"No," she said simply. She buried her head in between her knees and my anger for cussing her ass out quickly passed. Something was up with this girl, I could tell by the look on her face.

"Cindy, what's up?" I asked her.

"I'm leaving in the morning," she said softly. I could barely hear her, but I caught what she was saying…she was leaving me.

"What you mean, you leaving? Bitch, what you on about?" I asked her.

"Riley, I'm moving to California with my Mom and Dad," she repeated, louder and with more force. She looked me right in the eyes and I couldn't believe it, tears were actually forming. She was serious, she was actually leaving Woodcrest. "I wasn't supposed to tell you, nor anybody, but we're leaving. I thought we were going to leave in the summer, right after school but they changed their minds."

"Girl, you can't leave!" I shouted standing up. "Come on, let's go back to your parents' house right now and tell them you're moving in with me!"

She gave a slight chuckle, as if she thought it was cute that I wanted her to stay. Cindy was my girl, my main bitch. Whenever Huey and/or Granddad got on my nerves, I always went to her house. I always rode my bike the 2.5 blocks. We always talked things out with a game of basketball…now who am I going to talk to about shit? I actually thought of making her my girlfriend, I thought about marrying her ass when we got older. I wanted to kick the stupid-ass tree, but didn't. I didn't want to end up in the emergency room.

"Riley, I don't have a choice. If I go with her, my parents are going to find me the moment they wake up," she said. "They know I hang out with you and only you."

"You hang out with other girls too," I said. Cindy got up and walked over towards me, giving me a long hug. Nothing was said; I hugged her for five minutes…longer than a normal hug. This wasn't any ordinary girl, this was Cindy fucking MacPhearson. She put fear into any enemy she made; if girls saw her now than they would just laugh at her.

When I felt Cindy's arms leaving my waist, I leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. The streetlights made me see the redness of her cheeks.

"Don't think of this as the end, Freeman. I'll be back," she said. "And when I get back, you owe me a game of basketball."

"I'll wipe the floor with your ass then, just like now," I called after her as she walked down the Hill for the last time. I watched as she turned the corner and kept looking at her until she was up the street and had turned right, that's when she disappeared.

I sat back down and looked ahead. I stayed like that for a while. When the sun started rising, I got up and walked back home. It was a long walk back, longer than normal. As I walked back, I saw people and getting ready to leave for work. I was tired and felt alone.

When I reached the house, I saw Huey in the kitchen. He was always up before anybody; he liked eating breakfast before school.

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked me as I walked by him.

"I'm not going to school, walk without me," I told him as I headed upstairs. I walked to my room and slammed my door…I didn't want to talk to anybody. I just wanted to be alone; my thoughts were to be on one person: Cindy MacPhearson and how I already missed her. I should've told her I loved her.

* * *

**Ten Years Later…**

_Setting_: 892 Revis Rd, Downtown L.A; Los Angeles, California

_Date_: December 4TH, 2019

_Time_: 10:48 P.M.

_Cindy MacPhearson_…

"Nice show tonight guys." I was changing back into my jeans and tee when Lisa, our program director entered the women's dressing room. As always, her dark brown hair was in a ponytail and I could see gray highlights starting to form at various parts of her hair. Her aqua eyes were covered by a pair of rectangular glasses and tonight, she wore a black business suit that was stylish enough to be in a _Sims_ game. "Especially you MacPhearson, especially since this was your last show." I rolled my eyes, the girls were already jealous of me, why make it worst?

After my move to California, my Mom thought it would be a brilliant idea to parade me around as a model. At first, it was nothing more than a little side job after school where I could make $500 dollars every two weeks (it was good pay since it was only part time), but as I started heading towards my high school graduation, I decided to pursue it full time, so after I graduated from high school, I attended UCLA for a degree in business and weekends, I modeled and walked the runway.

By the time I graduated college, I became an underground, full-time model. I loved everything about being an underground model; I was in charge of my own finances, I made up my own rules, and whenever I wasn't modeling, I was still playing basketball. I enjoyed basketball as a hobby, if I went to the WNBA, then I would become bored with it instantly and that would lead to me weakening my game, something that wasn't going to happen no matter what.

Three weeks ago, Lisa got a call from a woman who worked at AfroCentric; the new clothing line that's rapidly taking over the US and all of Asia. They needed only female model from our bracket to come to Silver Springs, Maryland and model off all their upcoming lines. They already had a male model, it was one of the owners, but they needed more business from women. She called me in the next morning and told me about the opportunity, the pay was more and I was able to continue being underground. It took me two days to think about it, I knew who was in Silver Springs…but I hadn't been in contact with him since our junior year of high school.

Riley was pretty upset when I told him I left, I knew he had feelings for me; everybody on Timber Deer Lane knew. I tried keeping in contact through email, but I was always busy and I knew he was too so it was hard to continue, so we just stopped talking. I forgot what his voice sounded like, what he looked like…everything but his name and our last night on the Hill. I knew I had to face him sooner or later, so I just accepted the job and started packing. Besides the girls in my bracket, the only one who wasn't happy about this sudden arrangement was my fiancé, Sean Jameson.

I met him while we were attending college, I was in my sophomore year of business school while he was getting ready for graduate school; he wanted to be a lawyer. I didn't like him at first because of his background; he came from a family of wealthy lawyers and doctors, they even lived in one of those mansions that's passed from generation to generation. He was snobbish and thought of himself as damn near perfect. He always made A's while he was in school, he had good looks, and he always wore preppy clothes. When he started hanging around me; I forced him to wear jeans and jerseys, he had to take me to at least every Lakers home game, and he had to eat real food instead of the caviar he always ate. In return, whenever we had dinner with our parents, I had to be on my best behavior and wear nice clothes. I modeled in short, tight skirts; jeans, tees, jerseys, and even shorts…I hated wearing dresses, but I had to suffer at least once a month.

When Sean and I got engaged, we made plans of getting married instead a church in Santa Barbra with both of our families in attendance, but with this move coming up we had to find another place to get married; which basically meant pushing our Spring wedding to the Summer. I personally didn't mind…I preferred the summer more, I even suggested it in advance because I knew some people in my family were allergic to pollen, which came heavily in the Spring, especially in Cali. I would be leaving ahead of him since I'm supposed to start work as soon as the New Year came, which gave me enough time to get use to Woodcrest once again and to find AfroCentric. Sean would be coming down later in January, after he had to finish this huge case first and find employment in the Wuncler Courthouse.

I had to leave the next morning, it would be a long plane ride and I didn't have time to waste with these jealous bitches. I felt a nudge next to me and turned, knowing who it was. Tinsley Royale was probably one of the few friends I made in the model world, she did more runway shows, but we would always run into each other whenever we can. She was probably the only person I would miss after tonight. She smiled as I put on my right shoe; she knew what I was thinking.

"Girl, ignore those bitches, they just jealous that they ain't as good as you," Tinsley said as I started cleaning out my locker. I laughed. "So who you working for again?"

"That new clothing line, AfroCentric," I said.

"Nice, I heard of them. They started underground," Tinsley said. "So how's Sean taking the news?"

"He's pissed, but he'll get over it. You know how uppity his ass is," I said. Tinsley nodded, she only met him a few times, but she knew how he was and how much I hated it. I sold my own car only a few days ago, so Tinsley offered to drive me back to the apartment I shared with Sean. Once we made it back to the apartment, I gave her a tight hug. I was going to miss her, but I was ready to see my old friends again.

—BREAK—

At 5:30 the next morning, Sean drove me to LAX and walked me to my gate. He wasn't mad as he was at first, but I could tell by the look on his face that he was sad he wouldn't see me for a month. I didn't blame him, I would miss him too, no matter how uppity his ass was; he was still my fiancé and I still loved him a lot.

"Call me when you've landed in Woodcrest," he said as they announced that my plane was boarding.

"But that'll be late here," I said.

"But for you, my darling Cindy, I'll stay up until the sun rises again," he said with a smile. I playfully punched him in the shoulder before leaning in for a kiss. This was going to be the longest and hardest month, I got used to his preppy ways.

"Whatever, Preppy," I said once we let go. After a quicker kiss, I walked over to my gate and handed the flight attendant my ticket. I looked back one more time before heading towards my seat. Once I sat down, I had an aching feeling in my heart that I hadn't felt since the day I told Riley I was moving. It was too late to turn back now…

**A/N: HELLO! I decided to write that Riley/Cindy FanFic that I've tried writing over and over again. Please support me by reviewing, favoring, and following my work. Thank you now please review!**


	2. Chapter One

**Her**

**Krys723**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything **_**Boondocks**_** related. The only stuff I own is the stuff I make up, such as characters, settings, and anything else I can make up. That's all for now!**

* * *

_Setting_: AfroCentric Headquarters-Downtown Woodcrest, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

_Date_: December 6TH, 2019

_Time_: 5:00 P.M.

Chapter One

_Cindy MacPhearson_…

I entered the studio underneath the floors of AfroCentric. The lounge on the other side of the door consisted of a theme of white. The couches were this rich, creamy white; as were the walls and photography frames and the secretary's desk that sat on the opposite side. The only thing that stood out was the carpet, it was a deep red. It matched the white theme beautifully. I've been back in Woodcrest for a couple of days now, the first day was spent on getting my way around again.

The small, urban town had changed tremendously since I was thirteen. Even though the majority of buildings were still named after Mr. Wuncler, I saw posters of the new mayor around town. Even though he was white, he was well-liked. I spent the first half of my second day looking for an apartment that I could furnish and move into quickly. I didn't mind Wuncler Hotels, but if I was going to be living here permanently, then I didn't want to live out of a hotel. I found a complex nearby AfroCentric called Chateau DeVille. I got a one bedroom with loft, it was beautiful and I was ready to sign the lease and make it my own.

The studio of AfroCentric had three doors; two doors were the dressing rooms for men and women models while the door in the middle must've belonged to the actual studio. I went through the middle door first and saw a man who was doing test shots with his camera. He was dark-skinned and had dreadlocks that looked freshly twisted and currently tied in a ponytail. He wore an AfroCentric hoodie with a pair of black jeans and the latest pair of Nikes.

"Excuse me," I said not wanting to really disturb him. I never been so nervous, I've done photo shoots before and knew what to expect. Why did this one feel so different?

"One sec," he said as he took a couple more shots. He had a Brooklyn accent in his baritone voice; it was thicker than most New Yorkers I've met. He took his last shot and then looked up with a smile. The first words that came to mind were _Oh God_. It was Caesar! And from the look on his face, he didn't really recognize me. And how should he? The last time he saw me, I was wearing a jersey and some shorts. My hair was longer than it was now and I was wearing a black skirt with a long-sleeve white shirt and black stockings. According to the door in front of the lounge, I had to take my heels and jacket off at the door.

"Damn, you're hotter than we expected," he said.

_Is he seriously going to flirt with me_? I asked in my thoughts.

"Are you flirting with me?" I asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you want me to flirt with you?" he asked with a smile. Well, Michael Caesar hasn't changed one bit. I needed to stop this now before he went further along.

"Caesar, it's me," I said. He scratched his head in confusion. "Cindy!" Caesar looked me up and down once before I saw his mouth drop to the ground, but he quickly composed himself.

"Wow, you grew up," he said with a crooked smile. "It must've been all that California food." I rolled my eyes.

"I can't believe you were going to flirt with me," I mumbled under my breath as he came over for a hug.

"It was an honest mistake," he said as he hugged me. It was a quick hug, but only because I pushed him back before his hands reached my ass. "So when are you a model? The last time I saw Cindy MacPhearson, she was shooting hoops at the basketball court in the park with Riley Freeman." I smiled at Riley's name, though I knew he was probably still upset that I left him all those years ago on the Hill. I still think about that night, but I knew I couldn't go with him. It would've led to a lot of confusion on both of our families.

"So how have you been?" he asked me as we went back outside to the lounge. He guided me into the chair before sitting down beside me.

"I'm fine, I'm engaged," I said, showing him the engagement ring Sean give me five months before.

Caesar whistled. "You must have a baller fiancé."

"He's nice," I said. "He's coming down here after the New Year. He's finishing up a case in LA."

"Cool. Well, just to let you know this isn't my company per se. Riley owns it, Huey manages it, and I do the other stuff such as photography, fan meets, stuff like that," he said. "Is seeing Riley going to be a problem with you?"

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"Last I checked, even though Riley moved on with various women, he still thinks about you. He took it really hard when you left Woodcrest, in fact Huey wanted to almost kill you, but Jazmine stopped him before he even had time to plan," Caesar said. "So Riley might be happy to see you, but he might not be happy with your future marriage." I nodded. "So do you still want to work here with us?"

"I won't let feelings get in the way, Caesar. I'm better than that."

"Good. If you go to the women's dressing room, you can get ready with the outfit behind the door and we can get started," Caesar said patting me on the back. "Nice to have you back MacPhearson." I nodded as I headed to the women's dressing room and closed the door behind me to change.

* * *

_Riley Freeman_…

AfroCentric was the clothing line I've thought off ever since I was a sophomore in high school. After Cindy left, I had no interest left in the thug-life; it wouldn't be the same without Cindy. So I did the second thing I was best at, draw. What started out as simple drawings, turned into designing clothes, and that turned to me spending the next two years at the Art Institute of Chicago, majored in Fashion Merchandising. During my second year at the Art Institute, I learned from Huey that Granddad died of natural causes and his funeral was planned for that weekend. I left Chicago for Woodcrest that following morning, but after the funeral and wake, something told me not to go back. I had all the information I needed and I wanted to be on my own, I was tired of staying inside of a classroom.

Huey had inherited the house from Granddad and since he was married to Jazmine and they both had their careers underway; (Huey being an African-American professor at Wuncler College and Jazmine becoming a hair stylist at her own establishment with a friend) Huey let me use the garage and I turned it into the first home base of AfroCentric. I had gotten an apartment with Caesar, who had taken up photography back in college and worked for _Wuncler Times_ in their sports section. I wasn't making nearly enough to pay rent, but Caesar never brought the subject of money during the time I was rooming with him. I didn't know if it was because I was rooming with him, or Huey secretly paid my half of the rent when Caesar came to visit.

It had taken at least seven months, but it had finally happened. More and more people started starting buying my clothes from the Wuncler Mall and I was rising in popularity. Even though I was getting more and more popular by the second, Huey kept me grounded by helping with everything financing so I wouldn't get cheated. It wasn't long before Huey decided to stop teaching and work with me full time, he even managed to get an actual building, along with a secretary and even Caesar started working with us well into our third year at AfroCentric.

It was Caesar's idea to get the female model, though I wasn't too happy with the idea at first. It would've been Jazmine, but Huey knocked her up back in July and she was expecting their first child next March. She did stop by when we weren't busy, she brought lunch and on weekends, she would do my hair. We were hardly busy on Saturdays, but the guys came in anyway because being home on the weekends was damn near boring now than it was when we were younger. Every dollar counted now.

"I don't like you using my wife to get your hair done," Huey told me. Jazmine was once again doing my hair while Caesar was coming down in the studio, our model would be coming in today and he wanted some test shoots with her before Huey and I met her. He didn't give us much information about her, just that she was from California and she was one of those underground models. Huey didn't care about her background; he just wanted her to be black. I guess I understood where he was coming from, we were called _Afro_Centric, but it didn't matter to me. It was my business and if she was unfit for the job; then I can fire her and send her back to California. All final decisions led to me.

"Why did you marry me again?" Jazmine asked as a smart remark.

"Because your blood is black," Huey said without looking up from our monthly books. "You shouldn't even be here today, you're six months pregnant and you should be at home."

"Huey Freeman, I don't start maternity leave until I'm seven months pregnant and even then, I'm not leaving work right away," Jazmine said putting her hands on her chest. Huey was going to say something, but he just shook his head as the phone rung and he rolled over in his chair to answer it.

"Your child is going to be stubborn," I mumbled under my breath. She smacked me as she finished the last braid on my head before getting up from the chair she was sitting in. I understood if she was tired, but I was more tired than she was. I spent the past two hours on the floor and my ass needed my chair. Huey got off the phone and Jazmine wobbled over towards him.

"Don't you want to walk me downstairs so I can take my car home?" she asked him. Huey rolled his eyes, but he got up and Jazmine held on his arm as he led her out the room. I shook my head, sprung-ass nigga.

I had sat back down at my test and contemplated going home. I didn't know how much Caesar would be and Huey probably wouldn't be back up for a while. Also, there would be a mention of snow overnight and I wanted to be home when that happened. I no longer lived with Caesar, but we still got together to listen watch football games, something that Huey didn't like too much. Just as I had made up my mind, my phone rung and it was from Caesar.

"What, Caesar?" I asked him.

"Come meet our new model, I think it should be right since you're going to be working together from here on out," Caesar said on the other end. My gut feeling told me to go down; an extra five minutes in the building wouldn't hurt.

"Alright, I'll be done in a few," I told him and hung up. I put my hat back on because it matched my outfit and headed downstairs.

When I reached the studio, I went through the lounge and into the studio where Caesar was setting up.

"I thought you would've been done, nigga," I told him. "Jazmine finished faster than you and she's pregnant."

"Just because she got skinny hands doesn't mean I have to rush. And besides, our model's getting changed," Caesar said. "You know, if we're going to have a model, we need to hire an assistant for her."

"You mean like a hair and makeup girl?" I asked as I leaned against the doorframe.

"Yea, I mean she could probably do it herself, but a little help doesn't hurt anybody," Caesar said. The door to the ladies' dressing room opened and I turned to see who our new model was. I already knew how Huey would be mad, she wasn't black. But he would be even madder when he realized who our new model was. No matter how long it's been, I could easily recognize her. Her blonde hair now reached the top of her back, while her icy blue eyes still remained the same, round shape they were back when we were younger. She wore a pair of AfroCentric jeans with a matching hoodie and she had little makeup on. She was wearing my clothes and she looked damn good in them.

"Cindy?" When she faced me, our eyes met.

**A/N: HAH! I left it on a cliffy…I left it on a cliffy. Actually, I thought it was a good way to end the chapter. I'll try and get the chapter up again by the end of next week. I'll make it a habit to post on weekends unless it's a holiday or something. PLEASE REVIEW! And thanks to Luv ta luv ya for the shout out last week.**


	3. Chapter Two

**Her**

**Krys723**

**A/N: I'm starting with an Author's Note because I knew I've been gone for a while. A couple of days after I posted this chapter, my internet went out and then the snowstorms started hitting Virginia back to back. So I'm back and I'm now writing this chapter, and I promise it won't happen again. Enough chatter…ONWARDS!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own **_**Boondocks**_**! But I do know that season four is coming in one month and 14 days. I can't wait! I really hope that McGruder surprises me LOL…bring on Caesar!**

* * *

_**Flashback: 2010**_

_**Setting: 1946 Timid Deer Lane, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland**_

_**Date: June 17**__**TH**_

_**Time: 7:30 P.M.**_

_**Riley Freeman…**_

_** I heard a sigh as Huey sat down beside me on the living room couch. It's been weeks since the day Cindy left. Even though I longed stepped out of my room after that first long weekend, I didn't want to talk about with **__**anybody**__**, including Huey. But Huey being Huey, he kept reminding me that she didn't care about me. If she cared, she would've tried harder to stay. According to him, she hadn't even written to me yet. I didn't want to believe he was right, because I knew deep down that if Jazmine ever moved from Woodcrest; he would have a hard time taking in the news.**_

_** School was out now, so Granddad went back to his usual ways to getting one of us to mow his lawn. I wished Lando was still here, as much as I hatred that old-ass nigga at least he knew how to mow a lawn. I'm glad that nigga wasn't my real uncle.**_

_** "Granddad says it your turn to mow the lawn," Huey said as he turned on the TV. As usual—in Huey's world—there was nothing on unless you turned it to one of the politics stations. I hated politics just as much as Granddad, it was too depressing. Huey was cynical so he was used to it. "And stop thinking about her, she's not coming back."**_

_** "Don't start," I told him.**_

_** "You've been moping ever since she left, forget her already! She's going to live among her people now and if she comes back, she comes back. If she doesn't come back, then move on," Huey said evenly. "Ever since she left, I've done twice as much work as you if not more."**_

_** "Nigga, you can handle it. You're strong," I told him.**_

_** As if he ignored that last comment, he turned his attention back to the TV. "What if Jazmine decided to move to California…would you care?"**_

_** "Just because I'm her best friend doesn't mean I'd care if she moved or not," he replied without turning to me.**_

_** "Nigga, you love her and you know it. It's so damn obvious and it's been obvious ever since you two were twelve," I told him. Huey turned towards me; his face looked like it softened a little more than usual.**_

_** "She left you; she hasn't even written you an email since she left. Face it, Riley…she doesn't care," Huey said. "So just be a man and move on. There's more to worry about in this world than Cindy MacPhearson."**_

_** I know Huey was right, I couldn't keep moping around, but my feelings for Cindy could never change. I kept thinking about that kiss on the cheek, she knew how I felt. Huey didn't.**_

_**End of Flashback**_

* * *

_Setting_: Studio 59-AfroCentric Headquarters, Downtown Woodcrest-Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

_Date_: December 6TH, 2019

_Time_: 7:30 P.M.

Chapter Two

_Cindy MacPhearson_…

"Damn, _MacFearson_, you ain't change did you?" Caesar teased as he finished his last frame. I did my last pose before Caesar called it a wrap and I finally left from the white backdrop. My eyes met Riley's again and I smiled as I walked over. I didn't know what to expect from Riley, I mean I just came back to Woodcrest out the blue and now I'm working at his company.

"How have you been?" I asked him.

"I've been me, you see this big ass company I got," he responded. "So since are you a model?" He cocked his eyebrow in a perfect imitation of his brother.

"Ever since I was in high school, at first it was just a way for me to make money, but I started liking it more and now I work as an underground model. I don't have a label; I manage my own finances and everything."

"That's cool, you look good," he said.

I was about to say something else, but Caesar caught my attention. "You know I'm turning 25 next Saturday. You should come to the party I'm having. It'd be like you never left."

"It depends if I've moved into my apartment by then," I told him.

"I'll see you upstairs Riley," Caesar said as he packed up his camera and headed out the studio door. Riley nodded as I picked up my bag from the floor.

"So you're staying for good?" Riley asked me. I smiled and nodded.

"I actually miss it here; it never snowed in California and you know how much I love the snow," I told him. "But I don't want to stay in a hotel for months on end, I actually wanna move into a place of my own. And by next month, I won't be here alone."

Riley gave me a blank look and I showed him the hand with my engagement ring on it. He studied it profusely. "I'm engaged. His name's Sean and we've been engaged for a while. We're getting married here in the summer, after he comes down here. He wants to finish a case he's working on in California."

"I'm happy for you," he said though I heard a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Will you come to the wedding? Caesar said he would come and I don't know about Huey and Jazmine," I said.

He looked for me for a minute, and then he nodded. "You know we still cool girl." I smiled before I gathered my belongings and left the room. Before I touched the door, I turned around and looked at him again. "Do you want to get something to eat, there's a lot we need to catch up on."

"Sure, I'll let you know after this snow storm clears," he said.

"OK, I'll give you my number tomorrow," I said. Inside, I might've been brave, but inside I was a little girl who was almost mad with herself for telling him I was engaged.

* * *

_Setting_: 1946 Timid Deer Lane, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

_Time_: 9:30 P.M.

_Riley Freeman_…

"I can't believe she's engaged," I told Huey later that night. He needed help with the crib of his future child, so I told him I would come over after work. I've been over here for almost two hours and so far, we've only got half of it done, but only because I told him about my encounter with Cindy. Huey wasn't happy she was now our new model, but it was rude of him to send her back to California, so he would have to put her with her while I had to put up with the fact she's engaged.

"Riley, it's already bad enough she's even back and is now working for us. It's bad enough that Jazmine's probably going to force me to this wedding. I don't want to talk about her anymore, you shouldn't even have feelings for her," Huey told me. I had every right to agree, but I chose to say nothing. Huey told me to hold onto the drop sides as he screwed it together. The crib was a pale yellow and came from Ikea. The room they were using used to be my room; instead of it being painted red, it was now painted with a jungle theme to it. The crib—according to Jazmine—was supposed to represent the sun, which made Huey roll his eyes everything she talked about it. He wanted the baby room to have an African feel to it. He wanted the room to have an African flag painted on one of the walls, but Jazmine refused. She told him that he can teach their future child about African when he/or she was older, but from the time the baby was born, the room was going to have a jungle theme to it. Huey wasn't the one to lose easily so I'm sure he'll find some way to have an African flag in their newborn's room.

"I'm pretty sure Cindy and I will be friends, nothing more," I said. I wanted this to be a lie, but it wasn't. She looked damn good today and I wanted to fuck her right then and there.

"Good, if she's engaged then the last thing I would want you to do is something stupid," Huey told me as he screwed the rest of the bolts into the crib.

"What's it like being married to Jazmine?" I asked Huey as I let go of the drop sides and Huey pulled it up to see if it was working.

"A headache. She constantly disagrees with everything I say and its even worst now that she's pregnant, but she must love me for some reason because we lasted the first few years and those are the hardest," Huey said.

"Sprung ass, nigga," I said as I grabbed my jacket from behind the door and placed my Timbs back on. I was ready to get home; I was ready to go to bed and forget the events of the days. Huey slapped me on the back of my head and I was going to hit him back, but we were at the stairwell and I knew what happened the last time I was near a stairwell. I wasn't ready to get beat again, but I will get my revenge.

After saying goodbye to Jazmine, I walked outside just as the first of the snow started falling.

_Shit_, I thought. I didn't want to drive back home in this mess, but I didn't want to go back inside. I told myself the day after I got AfroCentric off the ground and into the main building, I wasn't going to go back to those days of staying in Huey's spare bedroom. The old house might have had a lot of rooms, but none of those rooms belonged to me. I got in the car and pulled out the driveway, but I didn't head home like I planned.

* * *

_Setting_: RM# 516-Wuncler Hotel, Downtown Woodcrest, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

_Time_: 10:45 P.M.

_Cindy MacPhearson_…

"Sean, I'm fine. It's just a little snow!" I told Sean on the other end of the phone. I was long back in my hotel room, my clothes were sprawled over the second bed and my laptop was joining me on the bed. Ever since I finished the photo shoot, I came back to my room and ordered room service; a ham and cheese patty melt with a strawberry milkshake and sweet potato fries. I knew I should be eating better, but I somehow kept my figure. Maybe it all went to my ass; I wouldn't be shocked, I didn't have a normal ass for a white girl.

"Yes, but what if you aren't able to work tomorrow? It's your second day on the job," Sean said. He called soon after I finished eating. He wasn't too keen about my eating habits, so I had to enjoy my fatty foods for at least a month. "You're paying for this wedding just as much as I am; you need all the hours you can get."

"First of all, I have enough money to pay for this wedding, buy and furnish my apartment, buy my own car, and many other things because I know how to save. Second of all, who are you to tell me how much I can work? I'm my own model, I'm my own company…I don't need your bullshit. Third of all, if you can't handle the first two things, then fuck you and goodnight!" I shouted into my Samsung Galaxy. I hung up in a heartbeat and I was about to turn it off when it vibrated in my hand. It was Sean again.

"What?" I growled into the phone.

"I'm sorry I got angry, I just don't like you working around a bunch of guys," he said.

"Their _friends_! And besides, I don't need your approval," I said. "Look, I need to go to sleep. Don't you want me to _work all the hours I can get_?" Before Sean could respond, I hung up and this time, I turned the phone off before he could respond. I felt relief right away as somebody knocked on the door. My TV wasn't loud and I had no music coming out my laptop, so if this was a complaint then I was going to scream my head off. I rolled off the bed and went to answer the door, seeing Riley Freeman smirking on the other end. He had a red and white Chicago Bulls basketball in his hands.

"I thought about it, dinner ain't going to be enough. I want that game you promised me before you left," he said with that smug smirk on his face. He was dressed in a simply pair of basketball shorts and a white AfroCentric tank. I crossed my arms in confusion.

"Nigga, it's cold as hell!" I almost shouted.

"My building as an inside basketball court we can use, come on, MacPhearson. Scared?" he asked mockingly. "All those times in must've messed up your game big time."

"Fine, let me change first," I said. I was wearing a pair yoga pants that was too thin to go outside in and a black tee. I told Riley to wait outside in the lounge while I put on a pair of basketball shorts underneath a pair of sweats. I kept my black tee on as I put on a black Nikes and grabbed my jacket. I met Riley in the lounge, that mocking smirk still on his face.

"You know I'm gonna beat your ass, Freeman. Just because I've modeled doesn't mean I haven't lost my stride," I said as I got inside his car.

"Bitch please, you wish you could beat me. It's gonna be like that time when we were eight all over again," he replied.

-BREAK-

They gym inside Riley's building was large enough to be split into two areas, the actual gym and the basketball court. It was located in the basement of the building so when our shoes squeaked on the hardwood floor, it wouldn't wake anybody. We played four games and we each won two (even though I let Riley win two), but by the time we finished, it was getting late. We stopped playing around 2:30 AM and since the snow had piled high that night, Riley let me stay with him in his apartment.

He lived in the fifth floor of a studio apartment with a spacious loft space upstairs. You had to take an elevator to get to the door of the apartment; from then you would have to go through a hall to get to your own apartment door. The apartment was made of bricks, with a hardwood floor and a kitchen with an island huge enough for eating and prepping. There were three black barstools on the outside of the kitchen. The living room/dining room area had a fireplace with a chimney that ran through the loft. Riley's bedroom was next door to a small closet that contained the washer and dryer and a bathroom across the way that could only fit one or two people.

Riley led me upstairs to the loft, which mainly used for his designing room when he wasn't working. It had a drawing table with huge sheets of white paper, designs of clothes tacked in every free wall space; even some of the old ones were replaced by the new ones. In the corner of the right hand side was a black futon that was also a bed.

"You can sleep here tonight," he said as he went over to a little closet and pulled out freshly washed sheets, a blanket, and a pillow. "I'll drop you off tomorrow if the snow isn't too heavy."

"Thanks, Riley."

He yawned as his way of saying you're welcome before heading back downstairs to his own bedroom. I had packed extra clothes before leaving and had taken a shower in the gym's women shower room, so after changing into a pair of booty shorts and a vintage tee, I turned the light out and went straight to sleep.

**A/N: FINALLY FINISHED! Thank you again for reading this FanFic and now if you could review it, favorite it, and follow the story as it continues then I'll be very happy. Word of mouth is the BEST FORM OF COMMUNICATION! Thank you for reading, have a nice week!**


	4. Chapter Three

**Her**

**Krys723**

**A/N: **_**BOONDOCKS **_**HAVE OFFICALLY BEEN CALLED FOR A SEASON FOUR! AGAIN, **_**THE BOONDOCKS**_** WILL RETURN FOR SEASON FOUR! THE FOURTH SEASON PREMIERES ON APRIL 25****TH**** AT 10:30 PM ON ADULT SWIM!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING **_**BOONDOCKS**_** RELATED! I ONLY OWN WHAT I MAKE UP!**

* * *

_Setting_: 602 Wuncler Ave Apt #G4-Wuncler Village Apartments, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

_Date_: December 24TH, 2019

_Time_: 8:36 P.M.

Chapter Three

_Cindy MacPhearson_…

My first few weeks working with AfroCentric were hectic. The snow storm came in the middle of that first night when I stayed with Riley after the late night basketball, so while he took me back to the hotel that next morning, he told me not to come to AfroCentric that day. The snow was deep enough for Riley to call off work for the next two days. During my time off, I decided to look for an apartment. I considered getting an apartment in Riley's building, Purple Royale; but the price was too high for my range. Yeah, I had saved up money, but that was supposed to go towards my apartment and a car, so I had to even things out. When Riley decided that the snow had melted long enough for driving, the guys went straight to design mode. By the time I got in (which was at seven, two hours later than Huey, Caesar, and Riley); Caesar sent me directly into the studio, where I prepped myself for a day of modeling. Everything I modeled was for the spring and summer collections, but since there was snow on the ground, we couldn't go outside and model.

I wore jeans, jerseys, T-shirts, hoodies, and even hats if the outfit permitted. The first half of my day was focused on modeling, while the remainder of the day was mostly Caesar editing. There were times he would still be in the office by the time it was time to go home, so I would always made a stop to get Caesar some food just in case he was pulling an all-nighter. I even asked him if he wanted me to help him edit all the photos of Riley and I (Riley had already modeled off all the new outfits), but Caesar politely declined. He actually liked doing all the editing; it gave him creative freedom just like Riley had his creative freedom when it came to making his clothes.

Huey did not like seeing me in the office. We always had this mutual friendship; mainly because I was Riley's best friend and he wanted us to get along. Yeah Jazmine and I were close, but not as close as Riley and I. Huey didn't like me because he considered me a cracker-nigga, even if he never told me to my face. Huey had every right to hate me though, I left his brother alone when I was thirteen and I knew there were some unresolved feelings between Riley and I. Huey made this point known the first day I entered the upstairs office. I had left to go to the bathroom and when I got back, Huey was waiting for me outside. He warned me if something happened to Riley and I was somewhat involved, he would put the blame squarely on me. I only agreed because I wanted to go back inside, but I knew how Huey was and protecting Riley came before anybody else, even Jazmine.

A week after I arrived, I finally found an apartment. It was within a fifteen minute walk to AfroCentric, but I still needed a car, so that Friday I went car shopping at long last. While Huey owned a navy-blue Toyota truck, Caesar owned a black BMW, and Riley owned a sea blue Lamborghini; their cars were within their budgets. The car I ended up getting was a Fiat 500L that was painted red on the outside and had red, black, and white interior inside. Out of all the cars I owned, this was probably one of my favorites. It was within my price range and Huey hated it.

The day I moved into my apartment, it was that next Saturday and while Riley and Caesar offered to help the movers move everything in the 2-bedroom/1.5 bathroom apartment; Huey volunteered to stay at home because he hated moving and I wasn't considered a true friend that he'd waste his Saturday. By the time Riley and Caesar were done, it was 5:30 and besides paying them $150 each, I brought them a huge pizza from the local pizzeria and once they were full and tired, Caesar and Riley left with Caesar taking Riley back home.

Sean called me daily, sometimes he called me while I was at work and it was distracting. I would usually have my phone on vibrate, but if was sitting down, the vibration of the phone was loud in the small office and I would either have to take the call outside or just ignore it until the evenings when I was at home and was able to talk to him. I told him that it was best for him to email me during the week; I didn't want to have distractions while I was either modeling or working on other things. He got angry, but the next day my phone was silent throughout the day and when I got home, I would see letters in my inbox on my laptop, stating how much he missed me and how much longer before he arrived to Woodcrest so we could start planning the wedding.

I also got emails from not only his parents, but my parents as well. Neither set were happy about me moving back to Woodcrest, but my mother actually wanted to make sure I wasn't cheating on Sean with Riley. She knew how good we were as friends, but she told me that if I needed to be a whore, then I should've done it before meeting Sean. Sean's parents weren't happy that I was taking their son away from them; by him leaving for Woodcrest in a few weeks, they were unsure if he was ready to settle down with somebody like me in a small town. My Dad told me to do whatever the hell I wanted, as long as it didn't cause any trouble for anybody. Both sets of parents made me regret being engaged and how much I wanted to pawn that diamond ring off for money and use it towards things I needed, such as renovating.

As much I loved my new apartment, I wanted to renovate some areas, mainly the kitchen. I loved cooking, especially since I was trying to eat healthier and I loved making my own food. I checked with my landlord and he told me that it was OK as long as they were able to change it back to the default setting once I moved out in the future. I started saving my money; I even went as far as opening another bank account besides my savings, putting half of my paychecks into the kitchen renovation and the other half in my savings. I never told Sean about my renovation plans, he would offer to pay for it and it meant me succumbing to his decisions. There were things I would let him get in the past, but this was a special gift for Cindy.

I did a lot of advertisement for AfroCentric; I was basically the poster woman for other nationalities who wanted AfroCentric. Sometimes this was under Riley and Caesar's supervision, other times it was after I was finished with work and I was either heading out for the evening or I was just in the Wuncler Mall or at the store picking up my groceries for the week. This brought in a lot more business, something Huey couldn't complain about because more business meant more money and more money meant he would be able to provide for Jazmine and their newborn once she was on maternity leave. I also told Riley that this was the perfect time to start a collection for babies, toddlers, and kids. He mostly made clothes for young adults, adults, and even seniors, but now since Huey was having a baby, he could make onesies and other baby clothes. Riley's response was that he would make the clothes, but he wouldn't reveal them until a week after Jazmine's due date.

As it got closer to Christmas; I started trying to figure out gifts to give everybody. I chose not to get anything for Huey, he still didn't celebrate Christmas and not even Jazmine could change his mind. I would get a gift for him two weeks after so he wouldn't get offended like Huey does. For Jazmine, I decided to get her a new Mommy filled with things a new mother would want; such as earplugs so Huey would automatically get up when the baby cried and make up that was both harmless towards the baby and she would still feel beautiful when she went out.

For Caesar, I decided to get him a new camera. His Nokia still worked, but there was no harm in having a backup. I also got a gift for his girlfriend aka my new drinking buddy since Jazmine decided to get knocked up; Phoebe Leeman. She was a pretty, African-Asian girl with chestnut brown hair that was always curly and round, grey eyes that made her walnut complexion standout more. I gave her a day of relaxation in a day spa up in Baltimore since she—like Sean—worked as a lawyer and almost never had a day off. The toughest person to shop for—besides Huey—was Riley. The fact that I ended up getting him the wrong gift might reignite feelings that shouldn't be ignited. I ended up getting him one of those art sets you used to get as a child to ignite creativity, but I got him a more grownup set. It was three shelves high with the middle shelf splitting in half to reveal more tools. I even had it monographed in his initials with gold lettering. Out of all the gifts, his was the most expensive.

When it arrived two days before Christmas, I sent Riley a text telling him we could exchange gifts on Christmas Eve. I gave everybody else their gifts the day that Riley let us leave early for the holiday in order not to cause suspension. Phoebe, who came by the office as regularly as Jazmine to be with Caesar, got her gift that day too and she thanked me with a squeal and a hug. Huey told me that Jazmine would appreciate my gift and he was also glad that I wasn't getting him anything.

* * *

The day that Riley arrived, I had cleaned the apartment from top to bottom. I got started at 7:30 and I was done by 12:30, I was an obsessive cleaner when I set my mind to it. After I finished cleaning, I put a brisket that had marinated in the fridge for the past seventeen hours to cook low and slow in my crockpot for three hours. I made wild rice pilaf and homemade biscuits with honey butter inside to go with them once they came out of the oven. While they were in the oven, I took a shower and changed into a pair of black jeans with a long-sleeved, red fitted sweater. By the time I dried and flattened out my hair, the oven timer dinged and the doorbell rang. I put on black tights, but refused to wear shoes because it was my house. I opened the door and saw that it was Riley.

He wore a pair of dark blue jeans with a white tee over a black blazer. The blazer was a part of his new AfroCentric collection that was released the other week. His braids looked freshly done and he smelled like Axe, which was good because Old Spice reminded me of Sean and my Dad.

"You didn't spend the day cleaning did you?" Riley asked me as he set down a bright red Christmas gift bag that was filled with green paper.

"I also made dinner," I said as he sat down at the island. I had a dining room set, but since it was only Riley and I, I set dinner up at the island where everything was reachable.

"I didn't know you knew how to cook," Riley said as he reached for a plate.

"Neither did Sean the first time I met him," I said.

"When is this nigga coming to town? Your either talking to him or you're talking about him, I'm starting to believe the nigga might not never arrive," Riley told me as we started eating.

"He's coming in two weeks, I told you that he didn't want to get involved in traffic with the airlines," I said. Riley rolled his eyes, so I steered the subject away from Sean. "What did you get me?" I pointed to the bright red bag by the door.

"That shit ain't for you," he said with a crooked smile.

"Fine then I'll take my gift for you back to the post office to be returned," I said with the same crooked smile.

"Evil bitch," Riley said. "You got that man of yours anything?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't want to talk about Sean anymore."

"Nigga didn't give you a damn thing, did he?"

"He was too busy with his case to get me anything, and besides he says since we're getting married, this wedding should count as a Christmas gift and a birthday gift," I said. "He could've at least come down early if he wasn't going to get me anything for Christmas."

Riley decided to keep his mouth shut and eat, but I knew what he was thinking. He was wondering if I was really ready to get married, despite my mother's intuition that I should. According to her, Sean was a good catch and if I didn't get married now, then I might never get married.

"Are you happy?" Riley asked me. I was about to answer when I heard a knock on the door.

I looked at Riley. "You didn't invite anybody else over here did you?" He shook his head no as I got up and headed to the front door and opened it.

* * *

_Time_: 6:30 P.M.

_Riley Freeman_…

I was going to tell her to leave his dumb-ass when somebody knocked on her door. She didn't deserve him, she deserved better even if it wasn't me. He was a fool and the only reason he liked her was because she was famous and had a nice body. I hoped I never get to meet this nigga until the day he arrived. I shook my head when she asked if I invited somebody else over; Huey and Jazmine planned on spending the evening together as did Caesar and Phoebe. We were all supposed to meet tomorrow at Huey and Jazmine's, we were just going to eat dinner and hang out in the living room watching movies. Mr. and Mrs. DuBois moved to Canada a couple years ago and with Granddad dead, we found a new way to somewhat celebrate Christmas. We would spend Christmas Eve either with our significant other and on Christmas Day, we would gather at Huey and Jazmine's for a movie night. This year it was both of the _Kill Bill _movies, one of my personal favorites. I was going to invite Cindy after we finished exchanging our gifts. It was so she wouldn't feel so alone on Christmas Day.

"Sean!" I almost chocked on the biscuit that was currently in my mouth. I turned around to look at him. He was as tall as Huey; with short, dark blonde—almost brown—hair and eyes that were an olive green. His skin complexion was a few shades lighter than mines and he had a skinny, but muscular frame. He wore a black coat that was halfway open and revealed a white sweater underneath and a pair of dark blue jeans. I watched as she hugged him, her icy blue eyes brightly shining. But he wasn't looking at her, he was looking at me.

"Cynthia, I missed you, but it doesn't feel like you missed me," he said as he stroked her hair. I raised an eyebrow in perfect Huey formation, as though he was implying something.

"Sean, of course I missed you," she said. She let go of him and looked between me and him. "This is my best friend, Riley Freeman. He's the owner of AfroCentric along with his brother, Huey Freeman and their friend, Michael Caesar."

Sean entered the room and crossed over to me, I could tell by the way he looked at me he was judging me. As though he thought of me as a thug, even though I gave up that life after high school. When he reached me, he held out his thick hand and I shook it out of respect for Cindy.

"She talks about you a lot," he said.

"She talks about you too," I said but in my head, I was thinking; _she doesn't deserve you_. "So how was your plane ride?"

"Snowy, you see I took my father's plane," Sean said as Cindy started fixing him a plate of food. "This looks delicious, Cynthia. I'm surprised you had enough for me." I looked at Cindy, he called her _Cynthia_ twice and I know how much she _hated_ being called by her real name.

"Sean, why are you here so early?" she asked him.

"Because I missed you, darling. My case finished so I just asked Dad for his plane and I came here. I never trust civilian planes," he said.

Civilian planes? "Well, not everybody can afford a private plane. We have to work for a living," I argued as I sipped the Heineken I stole from Cindy's fridge. She had three six-packs of the expensive beer.

"Look, Reagan—"

"Riley, nigga—"

"_Riley_, I thought you would be able to see my point seeing as own a very lucrative business. I mean, everybody wears clothes, right? You should be…as you say…_making it rain_ right about now," Sean said. I almost laughed and so did Cindy, her cheeks were and full of Heineken.

"When was the last time somebody said making it rain?" I asked. "That shit left in 2012."

"Such vulgar language for a business man, good thing I'm not making a business proposal," Sean replied. I was about to speak again but I felt a tug on my arm from Cindy and kept my mouth close.

"So where's my Christmas gift?" Cindy asked him.

"You're looking at him, darling. I told you I didn't have time to stop and buy you a gift. I was making my final plans to move in here. I'll find something within a couple of weeks, probably some clothes of sunglasses."

"So you can't buy your girl a decent gift, mostly when people decide to be with their loved ones after a certain time apart, they would find a sentimental gift. Especially if they were engaged," I pointed out. "I got her something and I've been her friend for years."

"Do you want a cookie?" he asked me.

"Nigga don't make me get out this chair," I said.

"Come down Randolph, it was only a joke."

"Nigga, didn't I tell you the name's _Riley Escobar Freeman_," I said. "And your damn sure Cindy's your girlfriend or else your ass would've been six feet under."

"Stop it both of you!" I looked at Cindy and saw blue icicles. "You're both important to me and you better learn how to get along. If I have to have a mutual friendship with Huey then you damn well better have a mutual friendship when you're around me!"

"Why would I have a friendship with the guy you're cheating on me with?" Sean asked.

"I'm not cheating on him! I told you he's been my best friend for years, I would never betray you!" she shouted.

"You don't deserve her anyway," I said, not thinking. A dead silence fell as Cindy turned to me. I shouldn't have said that out loud, I could tell by the look on her face. She got up and walked over to behind her couch, pulling out a large, green gift bag with white paper inside. She then walked over to me and gave the bag to me.

"You have to leave," she said in a soft voice. I knew that voice; the last time she spoke to me like that was the night she moved away. She was hurt.

"Cindy—"

"I'll come by tomorrow evening, but you have to leave. Please don't make this harder than its going to be tonight," she said. I took the bag and gave her a hug and leaving. I glared at Sean before I left, he better not do anything stupid. When I got back to my car, I opened the bag and almost screamed. She got me one of the professional art sets, but what got me harder was the fact that my initials on the back. Me and my big mouth.

**A/N: FINISHED! I'M ALREADY IN THE PROCESS OF HOW TO WORK THE NEXT CHAPTER NOW THAT SEAN'S INCLUDED? DO YOU GUYS LIKE HIM OR NOT? WILL RILEY'S FRIENDSHIP WITH CINDY RECOVER? ONLY WAY YOU CAN FIND OUT IS BY REVIEWING THE CHAPTER AND FOLLOWING ME FOR UPDATES! HAPPY READING!**


	5. Chapter Four

**Her**

**Krys723**

**A/N: So quick update, I was not lying about **_**The Boondocks**_** coming back…this just adds to my list of things coming back in April. April has just become my favorite month of the year all of a sudden lol. Anyways, thank you so much for the reviews…I wouldn't be continuing this FanFic if it wasn't for the reviews…honestly. ONWARDS!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own **_**The Boondocks**_**; I only own those characters I make up.**

* * *

_Setting_: 602 Wuncler Ave Apt #G4-Wuncler Village Apartments, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

_Date_: December 25TH, 2019

_Time_: 12:30 AM

Chapter Four

_Cindy MacPhearson_…

You know the saying, 'the shit's going to hit the fan'…well it just hit hard and there's shit everywhere. The moment Riley said that Sean didn't deserve me; I had to get him out the apartment for Riley's sake. I knew how strong Riley was and even though Sean wasn't any stronger, I knew how much harder Sean would try to cause pain to Riley. Once I gave him his Christmas gift and ushered him out the apartment, things between Sean and I was quiet.

We finished eating and while I cleaned up the kitchen, he went in the bathroom and took a shower. The shower lasted for almost an hour and I didn't know if it was because he was actually bathing or because he wanted to scream under the water so I wouldn't hear. By the time he got out, he went into the bedroom and changed into a pair of black drawstring pants with a white tee. His hair was still wet even though he towel-dried it and his expression was even and cold. He went over to the fridge and took out a bottle of Heineken. I was sitting on the couch, the little red bag sitting at my feet. Sean sat in the middle barstool. He took a long swig of the Heineken and finally spoke.

"Do you love him?"

"No, and I'm not cheating on you with him either," I said for what felt like the millionth time, but this time I wasn't going to argue the point. If he didn't believe me, then what more could I do? He took another long swig of the imported beer.

"Then why did he say that?"

"I don't know why, Riley Freeman's a very honest man. He gets it from his brother, and he's running a business," I said.

"I don't see how that business lasted this long, it's probably a mockery," he said.

"It's not, despite what you may think, the men of AfroCentric work very hard," I said including Caesar and Huey as well as Riley.

Silence fell between the two of us again as Sean finished off his bottle of Heineken and threw the glass bottle into the trashcan.

"Your mother warned me about him, she told me that he would try to get you to change your mind," he said.

"What are you talking about? I haven't changed my mind; I still want to marry _you_! I love _you_! I'm _your_ fiancée! What's different?!" I asked him. "Did you cheat on me? Is that why you're here earlier than planned?"

"No, I told you. My case finished earlier so I thought I came down here to surprise my darling _fiancée_ but her I find out that she's entangled with another man!" Sean shouted. I crossed my arms as I let him continue. "And while _my darling fiancée_ tries to cover up how much of a tramp she is, her other man **TELLS ME THAT I DON'T DESERVE YOU!** Tell me, _Cynthia_, do you agree with him?!"

"No," I said.

He looked down and noticed the red bag at my feet. He snatched the bag away from me before I could grab it and looked inside. He pulled out a black velvet box and opened it. I saw how red his face got as he walked over to the stove and turned on an eye.

"He got you a fucking charm bracelet!" he shouted as the eye got hotter. "If you don't care about him then come over here and get it. You're _my_ fiancée! Your marrying _me_ in July, not some punk-ass thug who fucking got lucky in a business! You're not a 'gangsta' anymore, Cynthia! You need to move the fuck on!" Just as Sean was about to drop the bracelet on the eye, I jumped over the counter and grabbed it, burning my hand in the process. I let out a scream in the process as I snatched the bracelet out of Sean's hand. Once the bracelet was in my hand, I slide down on the floor and I couldn't help it…I started crying. Something in me told me not to let that bracelet melt.

"I'm going to bed, goodnight Cynthia." Sean walked out the room and I started crying more. After a few minutes, I used my right hand to take out my cell phone and call the one person who would've probably opposed to helping.

* * *

_Setting_: Waiting Lobby-Woodcrest Memorial Hospital, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

_Time_: 2:15 AM

_Huey Freeman_…

My black ass should've stayed in bed. Jazmine was sleeping on my chest when this damn woman called me. I cussed her ass out, breaking my rule of not swearing that much because of the baby. I didn't want to be dragged into her shit…why the fuck do they always call me? If she didn't sound like she was fucking dying, I would've stayed in bed. When I came into her apartment, I saw her under the sink running left hand under a lot of cold water. In her right hand was a white gold charm bracelet…I instantly recognized it as the one Riley picked out for her ass for Christmas. She held it tightly in her arm as she was crying. I saw a set of traveling bags in the living room. Wait…what the fuck was going on? Why didn't her supposed roommate fucking help her?

"What the fuck happened to you?" I asked her as I walked towards her. She was shaking as I removed her left arm from the cold water and inspected it. Her hand was burn, but it wasn't too badly burned. I looked over on the stovetop and saw some of her skin on the right eye.

"Take me to the hospital, Huey," she said softly. There was no taunting in her voice.

"Is your fiancé here?" I asked her. "Did he do this to you?"

"Take me to the hospital," she said more evenly. I rolled my eyes as I led her out the apartment, grabbing her keys and locking her door behind him. The ride to the hospital was quiet, besides a sob from her here and there. We arrived to the hospital at 12:47 and after filling out paperwork and the like, she headed behind the doors of the lobby and I've been waiting for her since. Jazmine called me once since, but I told her I'd tell her what happened when Cindy finally decided to talk.

I watched as the doctors entered and left the lobby, either going home after a long day's shift or getting ready to start their Christmas Day shifts. Cindy finally emerged around 2:30, her left hand was bandaged and she was still clutching that damn bracelet. Her face was stone cold as we walked outside, but before she could open my car door, I grabbed her arm. I wanted an explanation of why I was out here instead of snuggling with wife.

"MacPhearson, what the fuck's going on? How the fuck did you hurt your hand?" I asked her clearly irritated. She simply removed my hand from her arm, her head in a downcast motion.

"I just hurt my hand, that's all. Can you please take me home?" she asked me. I sighed as we got inside the car and I drove off.

When we got back to her apartment, the street lights were starting to turn off. It was almost morning and I somehow managed to drive for three hours without that much sleep.

"Thank you for your patience, Huey," she said in a low voice.

"Are you going to be OK?" I asked her. She nodded and got out the car, closing the door behind her. Once I made sure she was safely inside her apartment door, I started the car up again and headed home. When I pulled up into the driveway, I was about to get out when something caught my eye in the passenger seat. When I picked it up, I saw that it was the white gold charm bracelet. Sighing, I placed it in my pocket and went in the house…I hated being in the middle.

* * *

_Setting_: 1946 Timid Deer Lane, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

_Time_: 8:30 P.M.

_Riley Freeman_…

"And she just left it? Without saying anything?" I asked her as Huey handed me the white gold charm bracelet I wanted to give Cindy for Christmas. A mixture of confusion and anger ran through me, confusion because I wanted to know why Cindy called Huey instead of me and anger because if that Sean nigga hurt her in anyway after I left then I was going to murder him.

"That's what she did, I don't know what happened between the two of you, but next time something like this happens leave me out of it," Huey said as he carried a large bowl of popcorn into the living where everybody was sitting around waiting for us.

"Fine," I said as the doorbell rang from the front room. Huey gave me a look telling me to answer it before heading back in the living room. Sighing, I went to the door and answered it. I was face to face with Cindy again, but this time her left hand was bandaged up.

"What happened to your hand?" I asked her.

"I just burned it on the stove eye last night, I'm fine, Riley," she said. I was about to say something when Sean entered behind her.

"Randolph, it's not nice seeing you again," Sean said.

"It's not seeing you neither nigga," I said. "You better not start shit, this is my brother's house and he'll throw you out in an instant."

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about, Regan," Sean said.

"Cindy what happened to your hand?!" Jazmine asked when Cindy entered the living room. I followed behind Sean and sat down beside Caesar who raised his eyebrow at the sight of Cindy's hand.

"It was an honest mistake," Cindy said with a smile. "You know the saying, 'dumb blondes'."

"You got that right," Huey said. "Especially when that dumb blonde calls a sleeping black man and begs him to take her to the hospital."

"And I should thank you for that," Sean jumped in and held his hand out to Huey. "Hello, I'm Sean Jameson, I'm Cynthia's fiancé."

"Cynthia?" Huey raised his eyebrow as he shook his hand.

"We're so glad to have you in our presence, Mr. Jameson," Caesar said in a mocking laughter. I started laughing beside him as Cindy and Sean sat down on the couch. He held out his hand for Sean to shake. "I'm Michael Caesar, but everybody calls me Caesar. And I'm serious, don't call me Michael."

"Right, Michael," Sean said. I held Caesar back from going across the couch. "Oh, you _were_ serious. Fine, Caesar it is."

"I don't like you," Huey said as he wrapped his arm around Jazmine.

"Well, you wouldn't be the first one right, Regan?" Sean asked as he turned towards me. "Or do you think I'm not deserving of being loved."

"Sean, stop," Cindy said. "Let's just watch the movies."

"What are we watching? Hopefully, it's a documentary," Sean said as he sat back on the couch.

"Nope, it's _Kill Bill_," Huey said as he pressed play on the Blue-Ray at last.

"But you have a pregnant woman beside you; this won't be good for your baby."

"Both my wife and my newborn baby can handle it," Huey said. "And besides, our mother let us watch this ever since we were little. If you can't handle such an intense movie, then maybe you should leave." Sean didn't say another word as the movie started playing and while everybody started conversing, he refused to jump in. Either Huey put him in his place or he just refused to say anything.

When the movies were over, it was almost three in the morning and everybody started getting tired so Huey told us to get the hell out of his house. I walked out with Cindy and Sean, but Sean walked ahead of us.

"So, you left your bracelet in Huey's car last night…I wanted to return it to you," I told her as I held the bracelet in my hand. "Do you want me to put it on?" She didn't say anything and I pulled her arm away from the rest of the crowd outside. "Cindy, please take the bracelet."

"Riley, Sean tried to melt it last night after you left. I burned my hand saving it. If I take it back, then I would've burned my hand for nothing. I'm not trying to hurt your feelings, but I can't take that bracelet now," she said softly.

"Who cares what that nigga thinks? I was your friend _long before_ he came along!" I almost shouted for everybody to hear. "Take the bracelet, Cindy. You don't have to put it on, just take it. Put it in your pocket, keep it on your bedside table, I don't care what you do just take it."

"Do you love me?" she asked me.

"You're my best friend, don't let him control you like this! It's now the Cindy MacFearson I know!" I said. "The Cindy I know wouldn't let her fiancé control her. The Cindy I know would've dumped this fool a long time ago! You deserve better than him," I said. "So take the bracelet and go home."

She held out her right arm and I put the bracelet on for her. "Goodnight, Cindy."

"Goodnight, Riley."

**A/N: FINALLY I'M FINISHED! OK, SO THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OUT LAST NIGHT BUT A LOT HAPPENED AND I MISSED MY DEADLINE. I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT AND IT PROBABLY WILL HAPPEN AGAIN LOL! ANYWAY, YOU KNOW THE DRILL REVIEW, FAVORITE, AND FOLLOW ME! UNTIL NEXT TIME…**


	6. Chapter Five

**Her**

**Krys723**

**A/N: Just wanted to get a quick message out here before I go further. In case some of you are confused by the plot of **_**Her**_**, then allow me to explain. Sean's role in this is not as an abuser, it's more of control. He feels that he's worked hard to get Cindy to love him and respect him as a man, so when Cindy goes back to Woodcrest and starts hanging around Riley again, Sean gets upset. Whenever the two of them are together, they're easily happy and Sean hates that, so he's trying everything he can to make sure that she remains his. It's all about control, especially since he's from such a powerful and wealthy family. In short, its control vs. love and Cindy's in the middle.**

**PS: One of my reviewers asked me to make the chapters longer, I will try for this chapter since my workload is so heavy, but I won't make them long all the time.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything, **_**Boondocks**_** related. In case I did, then I wouldn't change anything. All works belong to Aaron McGruder. I own nothing except for the people I make up. ONWARDS!**

* * *

_Setting_: AfroCentric Headquarters-Downtown Woodcrest, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

_Date_: January 25TH, 2020

_Time_: 7:55 A.M.

Chapter Five

_Riley Freeman_…

My eyelids felt heavy as I lifted my head from my desk. It was an early, Wednesday morning and I spent the previous night in the office, working on my next Spring collection. I was under a deadline and Huey asked if he could stay behind to help, but Huey wasn't that great of a drawer so I declined his offer. But one thing was for certain, I needed more help. I would've asked Cindy, but after the Christmas incident I hadn't been able to talk to her as much as I used too. This was partly because she had a wedding to start planning for and because Sean Jameson would start getting possessive when I was "spending too much time with his fiancée," which has resulted in Cindy making sure work was over by at least seven so she could get home to Sean. I hated that nigga, but as long as he was with Cindy then I tried to be a good friend and held my tongue.

That didn't stop Huey though, because when we were working on something really important and Sean would just randomly barge in, telling Cindy that he was more important than working. Huey didn't like it when people interrupted his work time, so the last time Sean did it, Huey gave him a warning. The next time he interrupted us during work hours, then he would personally make sure he and Cindy got married in a hospital. Sean never came back inside AfroCentric, but when seven hit, we could hear the horn of his Mercedes honking like mad. It really made me want to get soundproof windows.

Cindy had finally set a date for her wedding; it was going to be on July 27TH, a week after her birthday, which was on July 22ND. She gave Huey, Caesar, and me our invitations personally while her and Sean sent out invitations by mail to family and other friends. Jazmine would be Cindy's maid of honor while Phoebe would by one of Cindy's bridesmaids. She had two other bridesmaids, they were her former modeling friends and they would be coming at the start of July. Cindy told me that I could bring a guest if I wanted too, but what I really wanted to do was stop the wedding before it even happened. This feeling wasn't because I loved her, but I wanted more for her than that asshole.

My thoughts were putting me to sleep, so I got up just as the door opened and a woman stood on the other side of the office door. She was cute for a woman of her age (which was three to five years older than me) with short, dark blonde hair and bright blue eyes that wouldn't look natural on anybody else, but on her it looked perfect. Her skin complexion was the color of toffee and her short, curvaceous body did more than fill a man's ample supply. She was wearing a red business dress with a neat, white dress shirt with a collar that poked out underneath. Her three-inch heels were black with red soles underneath and her short hair was in a perfect bob. She wore a natural look, whatever makeup she had on blinded. She had a black, leather briefcase in her left hand and her black jacket was tucked underneath the same arm.

"Hello, can I help you?" I asked holding back a yawn. I offered her the chair opposite of my desk and she sat down gently. She held out her hand and I shook it with mines before sitting down.

"Mr. Riley Freeman, I presume?" she asked. I nodded and she went inside her briefcase, bringing out a set of forms and contracts. I hoped we weren't getting sued; it was too early for getting sued. "I'm Amanda Peterson, co-head of the organization, Freedom Designers. Have you heard of us?" I shook my head and she cleared her throat before continuing.

"Freedom Designers is more of a convention than an organization, but we call ourselves an organization because we help creative fashion designers become more famous. We are normally an underground organization, but we come out once every three years for one week. In that one week, we help the new fashion designers get overseas buyers by organizing a five-day convention where your work will be on full display. Buyers from Asian and Europe will travel to our convention and partner up with these new businesses depending on how good they are. Buyers are allowed partner with one company, once that company is brought then the company sells their clothing for the rest of their stay. On the last evening, there is a fashion show including the model representative(s) of the company whether they are partnered up or not. It is OK if you don't partner up with anybody, we will automatically contact you in three years when we have the convention roll around again."

"Wait, you're an underground organization who spends every three years planning this convention and when the convention comes around, they send you out to personally tell the company that your chosen them to be a part of this convention?" I asked her.

"There are three of us, we make sure we go to all the US participants and have them sign the contract saying they'll attend," Amanda Peterson replied.

"When is it?" I asked her.

"From February 3RD to February 8TH."

"That's in two weeks!" I almost shouted. I was mainly shocked. "Why couldn't you call me?"

"As I've stated before, Mr. Freeman, we like coming in person," she said plainly.

"I need to talk it over with my other workers before I can give you a final decision," I said earnestly. She nodded and stood up.

"I will need an answer by Friday. If I don't have an answer by then, then I'll scratch your name off the list and you'll have to wait another three years," she said. She gave me her business card and headed towards the door. "I'll be staying at the Wuncler Hotel when you're ready to give me your decision. But think of the possibilities, Mr. Freeman."

Once she was at the landing, she placed her coat on and headed out the door. I soon followed suit, we didn't start work until nine so that gave me time to get in a quick nap, shower, and get my systems back working again.

* * *

_Time_: 9:30 A.M.

"So what do you think?" I asked Huey later that morning. I waited till he got in the office (even though I didn't even come in till 9:15) and told him to look up Freedom Designers. If anything was wrong or off-putting about the business, then Huey would spot out a loophole in a heartbeat. He was like a lawyer, an even better lawyer than Mr. DuBois ever was. Along with me, Cindy and Caesar were both hovered over Huey's workstation.

"There seems to be nothing wrong with this company, but I do find it weird that nobody hears from them besides every three years," Huey said. "I don't think you should do this, but it's not my place honestly. This is your company; I just do all the shit you don't have time to do."

"She just randomly came in here, it was weird. I thought I was dreaming until I saw all that paperwork on my desk when I came back here," I said as I sat down.

"Did you pull another all-nighter?" Cindy asked turning to me.

"It won't be his last one, he always pulls all-nighters when deadline season comes," Huey told her. I rolled my eyes, good thing deadlines came twice a year. Cindy rolled her chair over to her desk and then rolled it back to mines. She had a strawberry granola bar in her right hand and she handed it over.

"Here, you should be fine as long as you eat," she told me. "I made them just in case you were wondering."

"Be careful, it might be poison," Caesar said with a laugh. He ducked as Cindy threw a paper ball near his head. "Hey, no throwing in the office!"

"Be glad it wasn't a pair of scissors," she said. "Now are we going to do my photo shoot or not?" Caesar—still laughing—nodded his head and pulled out the latest model creation from behind the curtain and the two headed their way down to the studio. When they were gone, I laid my head on my desk. I wanted another nap.

"You need to hire somebody else," Huey told me as he turned on his laptop and logged into the AfroCentric business account. "You drawing all this shit yourself is fun, but at what cost? Whenever you hit a deadline; you take naps, you're more of a punk-ass than usual, and now you're unwilling to make a decisions that'll either help your career or break it."

"You make the decision nigga and get back to me," I told him purely cranky.

"I can't dumbass. Even if I said we should go, I'm not leaving Jazmine. She's at the point that she could give birth either premature, on time, or even late. Besides work, I'm not leaving her side and I'm sure as hell ain't going to New York."

"So I'm not going," I told him with my head on my desk.

"Is that your final answer or are you humoring me so I could let you get another nap in?"

"Think of it this way, when you finally become face to face with your child and your child refuses you to sleep because they either wet or hungry or just crave attention, then you can sleep on the desk with no questions asked. Now can I please sleep?"

"If you need to sleep then why don't you sleep in the lounge of the studio?" Huey asked me. I opened one eye and sat back up.

"I don't like sleeping in the lounge because Caesar likes to blast Drake when he was with Cindy," I said in a casual voice as the door opened and Sean entered the room. I groaned in annoyance and Huey raised an eyebrow. I didn't want to deal with this today; I had too much on my plate as it is.

"What are you doing here?" Huey asked. Before Sean could answer, Huey continued. "The last time I checked, I told you to never enter this office again because you are a distraction when we're working. I don't want you in the office."

"I came to see Cynthia, Hubert now tell me where she is?"

"Hubert?" Huey and I looked at each other and then turned back to Sean.

"Nigga, my name is Huey…just Huey! Like Huey P. Newton," Huey said. "Now get out, your fiancée is doing a photo shoot. In fact, shouldn't you be at work your own damn self?"

"I am on a morning break and the walk between the court-house and here is two minutes, now where is my fiancée?" Sean asked.

"Nigga, we just told you where she is. She can't be bothered now, she's doing a _photo shoot_ for the new collection," I told him. "Look, unlike you we're actually trying to work now can you please leave?"

"I don't call sleeping on the job working, Freeman," he said. "Tell Cynthia I stopped by, my break is over and I have nothing accomplished with this journey." Sean strolled out the office and I almost wanted to slam it behind him but chose not to because of the photo shoot downstairs. It's too bad I don't drink caffeine, a habit I picked up from Huey, because I really needed coffee at the point.

"I think you should go to New York," Huey said without looking away from his laptop.

"You told me you weren't going to help with my decisions. You said it was my company and I could do whatever I wanted in my company," I told him.

"Your ass is so tired you can't even pick the right choice," Huey told me. "You always said that you wanted more exposure for AfroCentric, here is the obvious choice and you're too stupid to realize it. The contract is legit and perfectly legal, there's not a loophole in sight. Now go home and get some damn sleep and I don't mean a three-hour nap. I mean actually sleep. And then once you wake up, call up that woman and tell her you made up your mind."

"Fine," I said getting up. "You can handle those two for the rest of the day?" I pointed to Caesar and Cindy's desks on the other side.

Huey raised an eyebrow and I raised my hands up in defense. I don't know why I asked that, maybe I was tired. I grabbed my jacket from the hanger and left the office, getting back instead my car and driving back home for a long nap.

* * *

_Setting_: 602 Wuncler Ave Apt #G4-Wuncler Village Apartments, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

_Time_: 8:30 P.M.

_Cindy MacPhearson_…

"Mother and father have decided to help us with the wedding," Sean told me the moment I got home. I blinked at him in response, I don't even get a 'hi, how was your day?' from him. Huey already told me that he stopped by the office for some reason earlier, but I hoped it wasn't because he wanted to gloat about his mother. Don't get me wrong, I actually liked Sean's mother (a lot more than my mother), but Sean talked about her and his father as if they ruled the United States. Not to say that Hilary Clinton wasn't already doing a great job, but still. I took my heels off at the door and headed into the bedroom to change. Back when I was living with myself, I would usually have a pair of yoga pants on my couch ready for me the moment I walked in, especially after a long day like this, but now that Sean was living with me, then I had to change in the bedroom. Sean followed me into the bedroom.

"Didn't you hear what I said? Mother and father have agreed to help with the wedding," Sean said again as if I didn't hear him the first time. I put on my purple yoga pants and took my top off, putting on my favorite tee that I got from a vintage store back in California.

"I heard you perfectly fine and I'm glad for the help, but there's a catch to your parents suddenly helping us and I want to know that it is and why you automatically agreed to give in," I said. "My Dad said he would help us as little as possible and my Mom agreed to it. I'm the one who is separating paychecks every week, half goes to my personal expenses and the other half goes towards the wedding. You've received paychecks since you started work at the court house, but none of your paychecks—which is almost the same as mine—have been budgeted towards the wedding. We wouldn't need your parents' help if you wouldn't spend everything you earn on furniture this small apartment doesn't need."

"I said a long ago that we could elope, but you're the one who wants the wedding," Sean said as I put my hair in a messy ponytail. I left the room and headed into the living room/dining room/kitchen area and fixed myself a sandwich for dinner. "And I thought you would've been happy with all the new things, such as the new TV and entertainment system. You look at the TV when you get home."

"Because I'm too tired to complain about something that _you_ happy," I said as I begun fixing my ham and cheese sandwich. I hadn't eaten since lunch so I really wanted to make the sandwich as high as possible. Sean looked on as I piled the two pieces of honey-wheat bread with mayo, black forest ham, provolone cheese, lettuce, honey mustard, and more ham.

"You need to control your eating habits," he said.

"My eating habits are fine, I haven't eaten since noon," I told him. "And what do I have to do in order for _your_ mother to be happy enough to pay for _my_ wedding?"

"She's coming down in two weeks to help you find a dress," he said. I almost choked on my sandwich; I really wish he told me sooner.

"I'm not going to be here then," I told him firmly.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm attending a fashion convention in New York with Riley and Caesar," I told him as I continued eating.

"Then cancel. My mother is more important than whatever you have planned in New York. And I don't want you spending the next week with Riley Freeman," Sean said.

"I'm not going to abandon Riley just because you have some grudge against him. And in case you forgot, he's my boss and if my boss needs me, then I'm going to obey him. Just like if your boss wanted you to go out of town for a few days, you'd go."

"He might be your _boss_ but I'm your fiancé and I came before him."

I almost laughed. "You keep forgetting who I've known longer."

"You better not cheat on me, Cynthia. I'm warning you."

"I'm not cheating on you and I never will, look just drop it. I'm going to New York and I don't want you to follow me either, this is strictly business related. After I eat, I'm heading out for a while."

"Dressed like that?" Sean asked me overlooking at my attire. I rolled my eyes, it wasn't that bad and my yoga pants were thick enough to stand the cold weather.

"Hardly anybody goes to where I'm going and I need some time, please don't follow me."

"You better not be going to see him."

"What is your obsession with Riley? He's my oldest friend and no I'm not going to see him," I said as I finished eating. I placed my Ugg boots on and grabbed my coat off the hanger. "I'm going to be by myself."

I walked out the door before Sean could get another word out and caught the late bus heading to the Hill.

* * *

_Setting_: The Hill, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

_Time_: 9:15 P.M.

_Riley Freeman_…

I was sitting under the Hill watching the cars go by when the late bus stopped at its usual bus stop and the usual people got off around this time. They were usually teenagers who had either jobs at fast-food joints that would get off late or workers who were making the second transition from the previous stops to their homes. The bus was about to pull off when it stopped again and one final person got off…Cindy. She looked amusing in her purple yoga pants and Ugg boots, but in her own way it was fashionable. As she crossed the street, she walked the familiar path of forest tree in order to get to the top of the Hill. When she saw me, she gave a small smile as I leaned against the bark of the tree.

"How do you feel?" she asked once she reached the top and leaned against the bark like I did.

"Better than this morning. I just got back from signing the contacts with Amanda Peterson and in two weeks; you, Caesar, and I will be in New York. Caesar's excited, he gets to go back home for a week," I told her as we slid down to sit on the ground. "Huey can't go because of Jazmine, you know."

"I hope she doesn't give birth while we're gone," Cindy said.

"Well February's a short month so anything could happen," I said. "Both Huey and I came later than we planned. I was supposed to be born in late August, but I came out in early September. Huey was supposed to be born in late March, but he was born in April."

"Sucks, I was born earlier than planned. I wasn't premature or anything, it was just early," Cindy explained. "Either way, I would've been a Leo." We sat in silence as cars drove by, some were clunkers and lemons and others were fancy cars.

"Where's your car?" I asked.

"At home, I didn't want to take it on such a short trip," she said. I nodded in understanding.

"Do you want a ride home later?"

"Sure, if you don't mind dropping me off at the bus stop. I don't want argue with Sean anymore tonight."

"Trouble in lovers' lane?"

Cindy rolled her eyes. "His mother agreed to help pay for the wedding when he can easily do it himself if he just gave up half his paycheck. I mean, I'm giving up half of my paychecks every week. And now he expects me not to go to New York so his mother and I can go dress shopping."

I whistled low. "I thought you picked out your dress."

"No, Phoebe and I were window shopping the other day."

"Well, maybe you'll find something in New York. You don't have to be at the convention center all the time. If Phoebe tags along with you, maybe you can find a dress."

"If Phoebe tags along then Sean will want to bring his mother."

"Do you like the woman?"

"She's OK, better than my mother."

"Then ask if she can come to New York for a few days to help you find a dress. It'll keep your fiancé happy and finally prove to him that you're not having an affair with me." She leaned over and gave me a hug and I hugged her back, smelling the coconut shampoo that she uses in her hair. She felt warm. A rush of emotions came back to me; I didn't want her to marry him. I wanted her to be happy. I wanted her with me, even though I could never tell her.

When she let go, she stood up and brushed the light dusting of snow from the back of her yoga pants.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked me. I nodded and got up, the both of us walking back to my car.

The drive back to the bus stop near her apartment was quiet, I kept telling myself that I needed to keep calm instead my head. My better half wanted me to just forget about her, she wasn't my girlfriend. She was my best friend. The devil in me wanted me to kiss her; it wanted me to just put that dumbass nigga in line. He irked me, not because he was a pompous asshole who thought money solved everything; but because he had her. I knew her longer than he did; he thought just because she was famous, she belonged to him. I loved her longer than he has, my feelings for her were harboring…just waiting an entry.

When we finally stopped at the bus stop, I couldn't hold it in any longer. I put my hand on her left hand just before she could get out and pulled her back in.

"You don't love him," I said as she closed the door.

"Riley, we've been over this. I love him and you know I do," she said.

"Well, he doesn't love you. I do believe you love him, you love him a lot, but he doesn't feel the same about you," I said. "The moment you got back to Woodcrest and he followed a month later, things between you two have become strained. You hardly say anything good about him, he doesn't deserve you."

"Riley—"

"He doesn't! He thinks of you as a famous, trophy wife. He thinks that you can't model forever, you'll soon have to stop making your own money and when you do, he's going to step right in and make you a trophy wife. You'll have his kids, but you'll never be able to make your own decisions. I don't want that for you. I don't want you to enter this loveless marriage."

"He won't do that."

"How do you truly know?"

There was a silence between us in the car as I looked at the radio clock. 11:52 PM. After a few minutes, I finally decided to say it.

"I love you."

"You can't love me."

"Why not?"

"Because Sean loves me."

"He doesn't. He wants you as a kid-bearing mantle. I love you for who you actually are."

"You're my best friend."

"I still love you. Things with Sean are not going to work out well for you."

"Sean loves me."

"He wants power over you, not love."

"You don't love me."

I kissed her…and she kissed me back.

**A/N: SORRY IT TOOK A WHILE FOR ME TO GET THIS CHAPTER OUT! SO WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GONNA HAPPEN NEXT? LET ME KNOW BY REVIEWING BELOW!**


	7. Chapter Six

**Her**

**Krys723**

**A/N: Just wanted to thank you all for the reviews. I want to apologize about this chapter coming out later than I had wanted it; I got a severe case of Writer's Block. Hopefully, the lateness of this chapter won't stop you from reading. Thank you for understanding and ONWARDS!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING **_**BOONDOCKS**_**-RELATED! I only own the characters I make up!**

_Setting_: 602 Wuncler Ave Apt #G4-Wuncler Village Apartments, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

_Date_: January 28TH, 2020

_Time_: 7:30 P.M.

Chapter Six

_Cindy MacPhearson_…

"Why is he staying here?" Sean asked me. It was the night before we left for New York and even though Huey wasn't going because of Jazmine; Caesar, Riley, and I have spent the past few days preparing for the week-long business trip. Out of kindness (and since my house was closest to Wuncler Airport), I decided that Caesar and Riley stayed with me for the night. Looking on it back then, it was reasonable and would save everybody a lot of time and gas in the morning. I had ignored the Sean factor because I thought he wouldn't have minded, but then again…it was Sean. When I told him this morning, I was about to leave for work so he couldn't fuss about it, but Sean being Sean…he wanted until I was on my lunch break, when I came home and scrubbed the apartment clean. He didn't care much about Caesar; as long as he didn't try that mistaken name shit and then he and Caesar were fine…it was Riley he had a problem with.

I wondered he knew about Riley and me. Even though it was a small kiss, I felt horrible about it the next day and I've tried my best to avoid conversations with Sean. He was already mad at Riley because he believes that I'm cheating on him with Riley, but if he ever found out that I kissed him…then he would make sure the both of us would pay for it. I wouldn't know what Sean would do to Riley, but I knew that Sean would slander my name everywhere. As a model, my reputation meant more than anything and Sean knew that firsthand. If Sean and I ever got into a battle, then he would win just because of money and power.

"Because it's easier to get to the airport," I said as I took the last batch of fried chicken out the pot. I wanted to fix fried chicken thighs with garlic mashed potatoes and my honey-butter biscuits. Sean would eat with us, but then after that he was going to head back in the office for an all-nighter. He says it's because he's working on a new case and it was harder than usual, but I knew the real reason—he didn't want to be here when Caesar and Riley were here. "And why won't you stay with us? We're just gonna be working on some last-minute things and then we're going to straight to sleep."

"I told you, Cynthia…I'm pulling an all-nighter at the office," Sean said.

"You should really get to know, Riley," I said. "He's not a bad guy."

"I'm pretty sure he is…in more ways than one." I went to the cabinet and pulled out plates and other silverware needed for dinner tonight. I was using the large, round dining table with a Lazy Susan built-in. I brought it from Ikea and spent four hours putting it together. This would be the first time it would actually be used for eating purposes since Sean and I would usually eat at the kitchen island.

I kept quiet as a heavy knock came on the door and Sean went to answer it. Caesar and Riley stood at the other side, Caesar smiling as he held up a six pack of Heineken.

"What's up, MacPhearson?! I brought beer!" Caesar shouted as the two men entered the house. They set their bags in the front room and Caesar turned to Sean, his smile remaining on his face. "Do you drink Heineken, Seanie?"

"My name is not Seanie and I have to work tonight so I will not be drinking," Sean said as I placed dinner on the Lazy Susan. I was going back for the mashed potatoes but they were already in Riley's hand. I smiled as I took them out of his hands.

"That's cool, more for the three of us," Caesar said.

Sean rolled his eyes. "Do you often drink on the job?" he asked Caesar as he sat down at the table.

"Nah, but how often it that we have these team meetings without a brooding Afro looking over us," Caesar joked as he opened a bottle of beer and took a swig. Riley laughed as we sat down and started eating. "So Seanie, are you gonna stick around?"

"Please stop calling me Seanie? Are you high?" Sean asked Caesar.

"High on love, there are things that Phoebe does to me that just make me feel good inside," Caesar said. "Like earlier—"

"Caesar, I don't want to hear about your love life," I told him. "And besides, Phoebe's my best friend."

"How come you're not dating, Freeman?" Sean asked Riley.

"I'm too busy to date," Riley responded. "And besides, I plan on dating once and getting married once. I'll start dating when I find the Right One." I looked up at him but his head was elsewhere. Even though Caesar tried to make the evening fun, I knew Riley's head was on two things; the upcoming business trip and the Kiss. Once dinner was over, I walked Sean out and asked him one more time if he wanted to stay in here and work instead of going back to the office. It was our last night together and then I would be gone for the next week. Either he didn't understand that or he just didn't want to spend time with me and my friends.

When Sean and I first met, we always hung around his friends…whether I wanted too or not. They always talked about their wealthy, private school and how much money their parents had in their net worth at certain times of the year. They were snobbish as hell and considered me trash because I didn't make enough. They actually said that I wasn't going last long with Sean and I considered myself lucky that I got an engagement ring out of it.

For the last time, Sean rejected me and kissed me on the cheek as he walked down the stairwell and towards his car. I watched as his car drove out the parking lot and down the road to the courthouse. I was about to go back inside when I saw the door open and Riley coming out.

"Hey," I told him as he leaned against the railing like I did.

"Do you wanna talk about it now?" he asked me.

"Where's Caesar?"

"Getting stuff ready, he'll call us back in a minute," he said. "This gives us enough time to talk about what happened the other day." I knew he wanted to talk about the Kiss.

"It shouldn't have happened, but it did and now I'm walking on eggshells, wondering if he knows what I've been up too. When I came home that night, I was wondering if he could smell me on you," I said.

"We can pretend that it didn't happen all we want, but I love you and you love me…deep down I know you do," Riley said. "I don't expect you to drop this whole charade with him, but when things don't go the right way…then I'll be waiting for you."

"Did you tell Caesar?" I asked him. He shook his head no. "Can we keep this between us?"

"Planned on it," was his response. I was about to go back inside when he grabbed my wrist and pulled my back over to the railing. "Don't worry so much, alright?"

I nodded my head as he kissed my hand and smiled at me before we headed back inside.

Caesar turned my living room into a danger zone of technology. Cables were everywhere and he had his camera and laptop at the dining table. Behind us was a drop screen.

"What have you done to my living room?" I asked him.

"We're doing a photo-shoot before bed. Come on, we have time to kill and I brought my camera," he said waving his Nokia in the air.

I rolled my eyes, but I knew Caesar. If this photo-shoot wasn't done, then we'd be up all night and I was kinda tired. "Fine, I'll go change." Caesar smiled as I grabbed the outfit he placed out for me on the couch and headed into my bedroom to change.

* * *

_Setting_: Wuncler Courthouse-Downtown Woodcrest, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

_Date_: January 29TH, 2020

_Time_: 7:30 P.M.

_Sean Jameson_…

She was probably in New York by now; they probably were sharing a room together. She didn't love me anymore, she says she does but…I don't know. If she loved me, then she wouldn't spend all the time defending him. If she loved me, she wouldn't have invited him into our home…especially after what happened the first time around when we first met. She says their friends, but something happened between the two of them. I can tell. Back when I first met Cynthia, she was rough around the edges. She loved three things; basketball, rap, and modeling. Nothing could overtop her love of basketball; she even taught me how to play. Granted, I wasn't good as her, but being a lawyer…playing basketball was more of a stress-reliever than actually playing the game. I might've gotten her to start wearing more dresses, but that was only when we were with my parents.

I proposed to her in her favorite country; Paris, France and in the Spring time. She loved the Spring, especially in other countries. I gave her the world, from the moment we were dating until we were engaged. Then she had to move back here, this ghetto small town. She had to see him again…everything about him aggravated me. From the way he spoke; that even though he was a thug, he had a very successful business, but what made me madder and madder was her. It took me months to make her smile, but the moment she sees him again…she starts smiling. She defends him when I said something about him that's the truth. She spends more time at work than she does at home with me. Cheating wouldn't solve anything; it would only cause more problems. I told my boss that I wouldn't be coming in for the next week…I needed time with myself. I needed to see if I_ really_ wanted to continue in this relationship. Was she really worth it?

**A/N: I'm so sorry this chapter is late! I know it's over a week late but so much was going on this week. Too many personal things were happening this week and I needed to take care of them. It's all taken care of at the moment, but if something like that happens again then I'm going to do them first before continuing with the FanFic. Speaking of FanFics, I'm considering a Huey/Cindy FanFic. I'm trying to figure out how to fit Riley in the new FanFic, I might actually kill him off in the first chapter—sorry Luv ta Luv Ya—and build up from there. Now it's time to do your part by REVIEWING, FAVORITING, AND FOLLOWING my story! Do for me…do it for April 21****ST**** at 10:30. I love you all. **

**P.S.: I'm sorry this chapter is like the shortest chapter in the story but I hadn't planned on making it long from the beginning. I know exams are coming up for some of you and I don't want to keep you glued my story because you have to study!**


	8. Chapter Seven

**Her**

**Krys723**

**A/N: This update won't be long and I'll probably talk about more things when I reach the end of the chapter. I just wanted to thank you all for reviewing my FanFic. We're reaching the deadline, a lot's going to happen within the next few chapters and then there **_**might**_** be an epilogue…depending on the reviews. Anyways, thank you for the reviews and I'll see you at the end of the chapter.**

**DISCLAIMER: Even though this is the final **_**Boondocks **_**season—sadness—I still do not own anything **_**Boondocks**_** related! I only own the things I make up!**

_**Flashback: 2015-2019**_

_**Setting: Cheesecake Factory-The Grove; Los Angeles, California**_

_**Date: October 25**__**TH**__**, 2015**_

_**Time: 5:30 P.M.**_

Chapter Seven

_**Sean Jameson…**_

_** "So what are we doing this weekend?" I asked my oldest friend, Gina. She grew up in the same world as I did; we were both from wealthy families and were basically legacies in our parents' eyes. My parents were both lawyers while Gina's parents were doctors. Her parents were at the top of their respective fields with her father as a heart surgeon and her mother as an OB/GYN. While my parents tried to be there for me, especially when it came to graduations and other special events, Gina's parents were always working. They never took vacations and never took time off to see Gina grow up into the woman she was now. She was a model, it wasn't her parents' first choice, but she loved walking down that runway. She was beautiful too, her chestnut brown hair was always in a ponytail and her round eyes reminded me of sea waves. Growing up, people always thought Gina and I would be dating, but I thought of Gina as nothing more than a friend, a sister at the most. Her body could capture the attention of any guy; she wasn't ashamed of showing off her curves and her olive skin.**_

_** "We're hanging out with a friend of mines, she's an underground model," Gina told me. She looked at my apparel as we walked across the street to the Grove. It was near our school, UCLA where I just entered graduate school. I wanted to be a lawyer just like my parents; I was always interested in criminal law, just like father. "I just wish you changed clothes, put on some jeans or something." I shook my head no. I hated the way jeans looked on men; I hated the way it sounded when you walked in them. Gina was wearing an outfit from that new clothing store, AfroCentric. I saw men and women alike wear them, whoever owned it must be…how do they say…rolling in the dough.**_

_** "You've known me since birth, you should be accustomed to how I dressed," I told her. "And besides, we're headed to the Cheesecake Factory and I should always look nice when headed to a fancy establishment."**_

_** Gina looked at me again; she must've thought I was crazy. "Sean, you can wear jeans inside the Cheesecake Factory…there's nothing wrong with jeans." I ignored her as we walked inside the cool restaurant. I've lived in California all my life, but I can't stand the heat. Gina walked to the podium where the hostess was standing, wearing the usual Cheesecake Factory attire.**_

_** "Hi, I'm looking for a friend. Last name, MacPhearson," Gina said. "We're supposed to be joining her for dinner." She pointed to me and the hostess smiled.**_

_** "Right this way." I stood up and followed Gina and the hostess towards the back of the restaurant. In a booth for four sat a woman who looked at least three years younger than Gina and I. She had shoulder-length blonde hair and icy blue eyes. Her body was curvaceous for a white woman, and she wore a pair of jeans with a black AfroCentric tee. She had her purse close to the window and she was drinking Tropical Smoothie.**_

_** "Cindy!" The woman looked up and smiled as Gina and I sat down on the other side of the booth. The hostess handed us two menus and told us that our waiter would be with us shortly. Once the hostess was gone, the woman spoke.**_

_** "Gina what took yo ass so long to get here?!" she asked Gina. She sounded as though she was black. "Girl, you know how hungry I get after modeling all day."**_

_** "Sorry, but Sean took a long time finishing up," Gina said. "Cindy, Sean. Sean, Cindy." I shook hands with her…her hands were soft.**_

_** "So tell me, son what do you do?" I raised an eyebrow and she busted out laughing. I had no idea what I did to make her laugh.**_

_** "What's funny?" I asked her.**_

_** "I'm sorry," she said as she finished laughing. "That just brought back some memories. I hadn't seen anybody raise an eyebrow since I left Woodcrest."**_

_** "Woodcrest?"**_

_** "My old hometown. It's located within Silver Springs, Maryland. I left there when I was thirteen and I've lived here for six years. I'm an underground model, but I'm taking up business at UCLA so I get control my own business and make my own money. It's all about getting that money, homes." I had no idea what she just said and after seeing the expression on my face, Gina laughed.**_

_** "You'd have to excuse Sean, he's used to people speaking English," Gina said.**_

_** Cindy gave a thoughtful look before speaking again. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Sean but I don't speak English like you. I'm not a Blood nor am I a Crip; I'm just a girl looking to get paid."**_

_** "No problems, Cynthia," I said as our waiter approached and we ordered drinks and dinner. Dinner didn't come too long after and since then, the conversation was geared towards the two women, I just listened in and talked when I could. They talked mostly about modeling and how Cindy was going to a new underground modeling company that wasn't ran by a man. I guess she was tired of her previous employer hitting on her.**_

"_**Face it, we're models…they're bound to get pervy every now and then," Gina said as the dinner was finishing up. We all had Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake™ for desert and as always, it was probably the best thing I ever ate.**_

_** "What about you?" Cindy pointed her fork at me and I was almost surprised. She hadn't spoken directly to me since she first introduced herself to me. I guess it was my fault; I should've spoken up more. I almost choked on my drink.**_

_** "What about me?"**_

_** "Would you ever look up a girl's skirt when she's turned around?"**_

_** Gina laughed before I got a chance to answer. "Sean's the most straight-laced, preppy guy you've ever met. The only thing he's guilty of is still being a virgin."**_

_** "Gina!" I scolded her as Cindy laughed and took out her wallet. I did the same. "You don't have to pay."**_

_** "Yes, I do. It was my invitation so I'm going to pay," Cindy insisted. "If I wasn't able to afford it, I wouldn't have told Gina to come with a friend."**_

_** "Look, let me pay. It's the least I can do."**_

_** "No, you're going to pay with a card and I don't trust restaurants with my credit card, so it's better if I pay with cash," she said as she took out a hundred from her wallet. I looked astonished as she tucked the hundred into the black book where our bill was. The waiter came over before I had the chance to retrieve it and Cindy smiled at him.**_

_** "You can keep the change, it's your tip," she said. The waiter looked nothing short of surprise and happiness as he walked away and the three of us got up. Though the waiter was happy, I wasn't comfortable with the fact that she paid the waiter a hundred dollar without getting her change back. Once we were on the street and walking towards her car, I pulled out my wallet and gave her, her money back.**_

_** "Take it," I said.**_

_** "No, it was no problem," she said.**_

_** "You can't be wasting your money like that."**_

_** "I'm not wasting my money; I know how to keep track of my money. I don't go around pulling hundreds out my wallet every day; I just did it tonight because it was a special treat," she said. "I told Gina on Monday I wanted to treat her and a friend to dinner and I knew it was going to probably be expensive so I decided to pay for dinner. It's no big deal…do you waste your money on pretty blondes every day?"**_

_** "No."**_

_** "Then don't start now. See you later, Gina." Gina waved bye as Cindy walked back to her car and I placed my money back in my pocket.**_

_** "She's sweet," I told her as we walked back to my car. She left her car at my house.**_

_** "She's realistic, I'm glad she decided not to take your money," Gina said.**_

_** "I wish she did."**_

_** "If any other girl knew how much you were ballin on a daily basis, then they would've stolen your card and used it till it was maxed out. I knew from the minute you pulled out your card that Cindy wasn't going to take it. She actually knows how to finance her money unlike other people. Your Mom and Dad balance your earnings every two weeks and they've been doing that since we were thirteen. She's three years younger and she's done more than you."**_

_** "Mother and father do not balance my earnings…their accountant does," I said as we got inside my Buick. Gina rolled her eyes. "Do you have her number?"**_

_** "I do, but I'm not going to give it to you right away…you'll have to earn it." I hated it when she did that.**_

* * *

_**Setting: Hathaway Studios-892 Revis Rd, Downtown LA; Los Angeles, California**_

_**Date: November 15**__**TH**__**, 2015**_

_**Time: 4:45 P.M.**_

_**Cindy MacPhearson…**_

_** "That's all for the day, ladies. We have our huge show tomorrow so rest up and come prepared to walk!" Our program director and head of Hathaway Studios, Lisa Callaghan called out to us. She was in her mid-thirties and had been running Hathaway Studios ever since she was 25. Her Mom was the original owner of the studio and was sort of a legend in the modeling world. Her Mom, Megan Callaghan was the original Tyra Banks and Janice Dickenson. It hadn't been that long since I joined Hathaway Studios as an underground model, but I could tell that the other women didn't like me. I had one acquaintance, a girl named Tinsley who was a few years older than me, but I doubt that we would become lifelong friends.**_

_** The other girls didn't like because of my beauty, plain and simple. They expected me to be white trash since I came from a small town and I had only been modeling since I was sixteen, but that was their problem. They didn't expect me to have one of the best bodies in the company, but fuck them…they don't eat like I do. The modeling world is cutthroat and even though I had Gina was the exception; I don't plan on making friends. I just want to get my shit done so I can be making bank by the time I'm finished in the modeling world. And it's not like I didn't have a plan to fall back on. I'm going to UCLA for my business degree; I'm going to start my own business as soon as I'm done modeling.**_

_** Once my high tops were on and I had changed into my basketball clothes, I grabbed my gym bag and headed towards my PT Cruiser. I was glad it was hot year-round; it was one of the things I loved about being in LA. Yeah, I missed Riley and everybody else, but I'm sure that they moved on and had forgotten about me. I needed to move on as well. It's been six years; if they've wanted to talk to me or come out to visit during holidays…they would've done it by now.**_

_** "Hey." I was about to get inside my car when I heard somebody calling me. I turned around and saw that it was that Sean guy. I hardly remembered him since the dinner last month. He was cute for a stiff. I placed my gym bag in the backseat and turned towards him.**_

_** "Hi, Sean right?" he nodded and he held out his hand to shake. "We don't have to shake hands, we've already met," I told him.**_

_** "It's a nice gesture," he told me. I sighed but I shook hands with him either way. "So what are you doing here?"**_

_** "I work at Hathaway Studios. What are you doing down here?" I asked him.**_

_** "My law firm's located down the street, would you like to grab something to eat? My treat," he said.**_

_** "I wish I could, but I'm dressed for basketball and not eating. And besides, I just went shopping last night and I have food in my house," I told him. I was about to get in when he reached for my elbow. The only reason I didn't hit him was because he wasn't holding onto me hard but the look on my face told him to let me go.**_

_** "I don't like random niggas grabbing on my arm like that, the next time you did that shit I'm gonna end your life. Understand?" I asked him. He nodded. "So what do you want?"**_

_** "How about I join you in a game of basketball? If I win then you buy dinner and if I lose then we'll head back to your place for dinner," he said. I sighed but gave in as long as this nigga left me alone in the future.**_

_** "How well do you play?" I asked him.**_

_** "Just some in high school but I don't really play. It shouldn't be hard to beat you anyway," he said. I raised my eyebrow and smirked at him.**_

_** "Just letting you know now, I'm in a chicken and waffles mood. Meet me at the basketball from my apartment complex and we'll play," I said.**_

_** "Why can't I ride in your car?" I looked at his attire; a black suit with a red tie and black dress shoes. He needed to change.**_

_** "I don't play niggas in suits, that's why. You need to change."**_

* * *

_**Setting: Apt# 413-Chateau Village Apartments, Downtown LA; Los Angeles, California**_

_**Time: 7:30 P.M.**_

_** We played till twenty and I wiped the floor with his ass! He had absolutely no game; it was like playing a kindergartener that's how bad it was. He got in some good shots, but the overall scored ended up to be 20-3. I almost felt bad for him, but then again…he should've never played a game against me. We went back to my apartment and after I showered and changed, I decided to start fixing my chicken and waffles. Sean used the guest bathroom to shower and change. By the time I got the chicken in my Dutch oven, Sean reemerged from the bathroom back in the same clothes he wore before the game.**_

_** "You like wearing those stiff things?" I asked him as I turned on my waffle iron.**_

_** "I've dressed this way my entire life," he said. "Why are you a model if you're better at basketball?"**_

_** "Basketball is a hobby; you never take your hobby as your career. If I did that then I would get disinterested in basketball," I told him. "And besides I like modeling and I don't consider it a hobby."**_

_** "But you're not making much money as a model," he said.**_

_** "No, you mean I'm not making your standard amount of money by being a model. I don't need to match somebody else's standards of money. It would be nice if I was rich, but if I'm not then I'll survive. My old friend parents were both lawyers and they made a lot of money together, but they hardly saw their daughter, my friend. I'd rather be happy with what I have instead of working a lot to earn more than I need," I told him. The waffle iron was hot enough for me to make my famous blueberry waffles and the chicken was ready to come out my Dutch oven.**_

_** "You have strange eating habits," he said. I looked at him, confused.**_

_** "This isn't weird, it's what they do at Roscoe's, I just make my waffles with frozen strawberries or blueberries," I told him.**_

_** "They actually eat chicken and waffles here?" he asked.**_

_** "Yes, you didn't know that?"**_

_** "No, my parents always took me out to finer dining places," he said. I rolled my eyes, why was Gina friends with him again…he was a total stiff.**_

_** Soon we were eating and after we were eating, I walked him back to his car downstairs.**_

_** "Are you afraid that somebody's gonna see you dressed like that?" he asked me as we walked into the cool night. I was wearing a pair of yoga pants with an old Thugnficient tee. I heard on the news that he died in a shootout a couple of years back.**_

_** "No and even if somebody did see me like this, it's dark," I said.**_

_** "Well how about we go out again sometime?" he asked me. "Next time I choose."**_

_** "Are you asking me out on a date?"**_

_** "Yes, yes I am."**_

_** I'll humor for a while, but I doubt it'll last. "Fine, but next time; instead of finding me randomly in the street, can you call me first?" I said. I put my number in his phone while he was taking his shower.**_

_** "Until next time, Cynthia." As he drove away, I shuddered…I hated it when people called me Cynthia.**_

—_**BREAK—**_

_**One Year Later**_

_**Setting: 1028 Hamilton RD, Glenwood Meadows; Sacramento, California**_

_**Date: August 17**__**TH**__**, 2016**_

_**Time: 8:20 P.M.**_

_**Sean Jameson…**_

_** "Mother, Father. I would to introduce you to my girlfriend, Cynthia MacPhearson," I said. She hated being called Cynthia; I knew that a year going in, but she had to suffer tonight since we were meeting Mother and Father for the first time. It's only of the many sacrifices we made when we started dating, but I'm more surprised that we lasted the first year…the first year's always the hardest. While I've never had a girlfriend before, Cindy's had suitors ever since high school. Well, she never had a committed relationship because of her modeling, but she was more experienced than I was.**_

_** This would be the first time Mother and Father would be meeting Cindy so I wanted everything to be perfect. I convinced Cindy to wear a black dress that wasn't too revealing and instead of her hair always being in ponytails like they were whenever she was on the runway, I asked her if she could cut it into layers. She refused at first, but I convinced her by paying for a whole day at a day spa. I hadn't seen her until earlier tonight when I picked her up. Her skin was glowing and as usual, she looked beautiful and her hair looked almost perfect. She kept it long enough so she could continue wearing her ponytails, but it was still layered.**_

_** The drive to Sacramento was long (five hours) so we were going to spend the night with Mother and Father after dinner. Being lawyers, they both own a practice and had more than one house, but their Sacramento house was their favorite house and its where their business resided. Cindy looked amazed when we pulled up to the manor and I couldn't blame her. It was a colonial manor built when my father was a teenager, so it's been in the family for years. In fact, the day I got married was the day that Mother and Father would finally hand over the house keys. I hoped that I would get to marry Cindy, she was my first girlfriend and I only wanted to get married once.**_

_** The Jameson Manor was a colonial-styled home; it was made out of red bricks and had white columns at the entrance. It had a circular driveway with a silver fountain in the middle that was given to my grandparents as a centerpiece of a completed home. Inside, the floors were a cheery oak that they redo every other year to keep up the freshness of the home. The furniture in the sitting room and the foyer were white and the walls throughout the bottom level were a cross between beige and crème. We had dining rooms in the house, the formal dining room and the casual dining room.**_

_**The formal dining room table was long enough to fit at least ten people, but since it was going to be just the four of us; Mother and Father told me that they had a couple of assistants find a smaller table for the evening. I hadn't seen what the table looked like, but while we sat in the foyer waiting for dinner to be ready, Mother raved about it. Mother picked the table from a popular furniture catalog and she said it matched everything. Mother loved furniture.**_

_** My Mother, Claire Ashleigh Thomas-Jameson was a Gemini and proved it with her split personalities. When she was around family and friends, she was the nicest person in the world and cared for anybody in her circle, but her evil side came out whenever she was at work or if anybody crossed her. My Mother was not a person to cross and she proved it by being one of the best lawyers in the state of California. My Father, Douglas Vincent Jameson was another great lawyer, even though my Mother was lenient in the raising of me, Father was very strict. He made sure I brought home nothing but A's, if I failed even the smallest class then he would ground me for months. His mind-set was that of a high—might even called it over—achiever. As Jamesons, we always had to strive for the best; that meant the best grades, the best tutors, the best clothing, the best attitude…basically the best everything. This made it harder for me to introduce Cindy to them.**_

_** Mother would probably like Cindy and get to know her, but I knew that Father would probably try to get her to leave him. He expected me to have a girlfriend from a wealthy family so they could connect their networths, but in the year that I've dated and gotten to know Cindy, she wasn't that type of girl and that's what I liked—might even love—about her. I just hoped Dad liked her.**_

_** "Dinner is now ready." I was snapped out of my thoughts by Ralph, our family butler. Whenever Mother and Father weren't around, Ralph would be there to step in that parent role. He made sure both Mother and Father would be there for my high school and college graduations, he would always stick up for me whenever I made a reckless decision in my teen years (and I made a few), and unlike Father…he was there. Seeing him now in his old age, I was surprised why he hadn't asked Mother and Father if he could retire.**_

_** We got up and Ralph led us into the formal dining room, seating Mother and Cindy down first before leaving the room and heading into the kitchen to get the Cornish hens and garlic mashed potatoes we would be having for dinner.**_

_** "What do you again, Cynthia?" Father asked as we sat down. "Sean mentioned that you were a model and I hope to God that he isn't lying."**_

_** "Whatever do you mean, Mr. Jameson?" Cindy asked him. I could tell by that look on her face, she wanted to go off, but a nudge to the shoulder reminded her to at least be tasteful.**_

_** "You don't have to succumb to being a model. Granted, you're a beautiful woman and I'm sure you're very intelligent, but just because you're in the state of California does not mean you have to be a model or an actress or something that isn't very successful," Father continued.**_

_** "Well, sir, I have a 3.8 GPA; something that has taken me a few years to achieve and maintain, and while I consider modeling to be very demanding. You have to keep your weight in check, you have to make sure you're able to walk in heels that are at least five inches high, and you have to overcome the elements. You can't have any damages to your body, and you have to keep your reputation in line at all times.**_

"_**And if you son didn't tell you this; then I will. I am not only a model, but I am taking up business courses at UCLA. I am at the top of my class; I might even become valedictorian within the next year. I manage my own money, I make sure nobody swindles me and even though I'm keeping my tongue, I don't appreciate being criticized by men like you."**_

_** "Cynthia…"**_

_** "Sean, I know you told me about how much a hardass your father was, but he does not need to disrespect me. If you cannot appreciate the fact that I'm a model, then I don't see us getting along too well," Cindy said in an even tone.**_

_** "I'm not disrespecting you, just your career. I applaud you for having something to fall back on once your modeling is over, but it's such a useless career move," Father said. Cindy looked at me; her eyes were that icy blue that I hated to see.**_

_** "Defend me, Sean!" she almost shouted.**_

_** "Father, you're taking this out of hand. Cynthia enjoys modeling and she's making a very good profit from it. She's very good at her job," I said.**_

_** "Oh please, Sean. Anybody can be a model. Your mother was very beautiful in her twenties and she could be a model! She's still beautiful now, but that's not the point. You need to find a **__**woman**__** and not a little girl who gets mad because somebody's telling her the truth!" Father shouted at me. "She is a child; you could've had any other woman in the state of California! What about Claire Henderson or Bethany Truman? They were both beautiful and had careers of becoming fantastic doctors! Why this little piece of small-town trash?"**_

_** "She's not trash, she's my girlfriend and she makes me happy, just like Mom makes you happy," I said. Father chuckled as he excused himself and left the room.**_

_** "Sean, take me home," Cindy said. I looked over at her and she was trying not to cry.**_

_** "Cynthia, we already promised—"**_

_** "I am not welcomed here, I want to leave," she said. She turned to Mother. "You have a very nice home and I thank you for letting me come even if it was for a short while." She got up and walked out the room and I put my hand over my eyes in frustration. This evening turned out even worse than expect. I felt Mother's hand on my shoulder.**_

_** "If it makes her feel better, tell her that I like her very much," she said.**_

_** I got up and hugged her. "Thanks, Mother."**_

* * *

_**Setting: Apt# 413-Chateau Village Apartments, Downtown LA; Los Angeles, California**_

_**Date: August 19**__**TH**__**, 2016**_

_**Time: 2:30 P.M.**_

_**Cindy MacPhearson…**_

_** I've never been hated so much in the span of one evening. I mean, Huey and I had our differences, but we still considered ourselves friends in a sense. I wanted to call Gina, but I knew she wasn't home. She moved from California to New England back in June. She had met a guy named Dwight last year and was now engaged to be married. He came from a normal family, but he was a banker. I would go to her wedding in November and be a bridesmaid. He was very handsome and according to Gina, neither one of his parents care about her profession. Gina was lucky.**_

_** I was watching TV, glad for the day off, when I heard a knock on the door. I knew who it was…it was Sean. He's been blowing up my voicemail ever since he dropped me off at home the other night. I told him I needed space and time. I needed to know whether I wanted to continue this relationship. I wanted to be respected and that's the last thing Sean's Father did. It was rude of him. I thought about Riley for the first time in a long time, if we were dating would he defend me or would he be like Sean and have me do all the hard work?**_

_** I got up and paused my **__**Judge Judy**__**, I never missed an episode of **__**Judge Judy**__**; she was a really good job, especially in her old age. I unlocked the door and saw Sean on the other side; he had a huge, white teddy bear in one hand and a set of roses in the other.**_

_** "I don't want to talk to you," I told him.**_

_** "I'm sorry, Cindy. I didn't know it would go like that," he said. "Let's talk about it, please?"**_

_** "Why didn't you defend me? I don't want to have to defend myself against my boyfriend's father; my boyfriend should have been able to do it for me. I'm not that kind of girl, I'm not the one who asks for her boyfriend to do every little thing on the planet, but when it comes to my honor and my respect, then I want some back up!" I told him. "I'm not asking you to rule the world, just to defend me against people like your father."**_

_** "I talked to Father and he's willing to give you another chance," he said. I crossed my arms in anger.**_

_** "**__**He's**__** the one who disrespected me, but he's willing to give me another chance? For what?! He's just going to do the same thing again!" I shouted.**_

_** "No, he won't. I promise. He says that he'll get to know you," Sean replied. "Come on, Cindy. I want you all to get along…I want to marry you in the future."**_

_** I took a deep breath. I needed to think and Sean was already talking about marriage, something that wasn't in the cards for me at the moment. "Sean, I need a break. I need to think."**_

_** "A break?!" he asked me, he almost shouted it as though he was mad.**_

_** "Yes, a break. You don't understand how I felt the other night. Your Mother might have liked me, but your Father treated me like I was some kind of white trash who was feeding off of you and you know I'm not like that! Why didn't you stick up for me? You say you want to marry me, but in order to even get to that point, you have to stand up for me sometimes," I said.**_

_** "I'm sorry, Cindy."**_

_** "I can accept your apology, but not your gifts. I need some time to myself, goodbye Sean." Before he could get another word out, I closed the door behind me and locked it so he couldn't get in to finish the conversation. When I got ready to leave for the store two hours later, I opened the door and while Sean was gone…the teddy bear remained. I had no choice, I placed the bear inside my apartment; and it stayed with me.**_

* * *

_**Setting: Reception Room, Manchester Country Club; Bedford, New Hampshire**_

_**Date: October 17**__**TH**__**, 2016**_

_**Time: 7:45 P.M.**_

_** "And now for the first time, please welcome Mr. and Mrs. Dwight Reynolds!" Everybody stood up and clapped as Gina stepped into the room with her new husband, Dwight. She wore a beautiful, white ball gown wedding dress with a periwinkle blue band wrapped around her waist. Her train was at least three feet long and her veil was the length of her long, dark brown hair. She looked happy as she walked down the receiving line. I already told her my congratulations in the dressing room earlier this afternoon. I was one of her bridesmaids; her maid of honor was her younger cousin, Laurie. We wore periwinkle blue dresses to match her band and the groomsmen wore black tuxes with white dress suits and periwinkle blue ties. The bridesmaids' and maid of honor bouquets were made of blue hydrangeas while the groomsmen and the best man had a blue hydrangea pinned to the outside of their tux.**_

_** Once Gina and Dwight finally sat down at the head of the table, the best man and the maid of honor said their speeches about the bride and groom and soon we started eating.**_

_** "Cynthia." I looked up as Sean walked up to the large table where the wedding party sat. He wore a black tux and he looked handsome in it. He wasn't in the wedding party, he wasn't a close friend of Dwight's and according to Gina; he didn't mind sitting in the pews. I soon realized why, he wanted to look at me throughout the wedding. We weren't officially broken up, but we've separated for the past few months. In a way, I missed him. Mainly, it was because I missed hanging out with him. He was still an intern at his Father's LA Law Firm (the Jamesons had more than one law firm within the state of California alone) we still hung out after work whether it was me teaching him basketball or him inviting me out to dinner.**_

_** "Hi," I said when he came close enough.**_

_** "Can I talk to you?" I looked out onto the floor and saw Gina and Dwight having their first dance as husband and wife. I wasn't much of a dancer, so I walked out the reception hall with Sean and headed outside. It was chilly, but not yet full on cold since it was only October. I've lived in Woodcrest and it was much colder there in October than it was here. When we were outside, I felt Sean's tux jacket wrap around my shoulders.**_

_** "I missed you," he said. I knew he was going to say that…I could tell by the look on his face. "And you look incredible."**_

_** "Thank you, but there are four other girls dressed the same way," I said.**_

_** "Yes, but you were most beautiful up there," he said. "I want to get back together."**_

_** "Sean—"**_

_** "You asked for space and I gave you that. I would give you anything, you know that. And I know that I should've defended you and for that I'm sorry," he said. "Give me another chance, please. I love you and I want you in my life."**_

_** "You love me?" I asked him.**_

_** "Yes that's how I feel," he said.**_

_** "We've been dating for a year."**_

_** "You're thinking too much into it. It doesn't matter how long a person's been dating, if you love them then you accept it," he said as he stepped closer. I didn't say anything as he kissed me. He still tasted like peppermint and his familiar Old Spice scent remained. I might have missed him, but love was far from my mind. I still thought of him as nothing more than a romantic figure. My heart wasn't in it; I didn't know where my heart was. But when he kissed me, my erased what was going on in my head. I wanted to give this relationship another chance. If it didn't work out, then I would break it off myself before doing anything stupid. I loved being with Sean…I just didn't love him and I hated myself for falling for him again.**_

—_**BREAK—**_

_**Two Years Later**_

_**Setting: 716 Greenwich Village, Beverly Hills; Beverly Hills, California**_

_**Date: July 20**__**TH**__**, 2018**_

_**Time: 4:15 P.M.**_

_**Sean Jameson…**_

_** "Sean, it's so nice to see you again." Melissa MacPhearson directed me inside her home on a rather warm Summer day. It was the day before Cindy and I would be leaving, we've been dating for almost three years and I figured that I would finally get to propose to her. She was getting along with Mother and Father and I got along with her parents just as well. We all even had dinner at least once every month. I loved her and she loved me, I wanted to marry this girl. But before I could even ask her, I had to take proper protocol and ask her Mom and Dad for her hand in marriage.**_

_** "Thank you for having time for me," I said as I entered their living room. Cindy's father, Randall MacPhearson was watching an old basketball game on ESPN. I guess basketball was this family's influence. I remembered the first time I entered Cindy's house, I saw the mantle covered in basketball trophies from not only here in California, but also some from her old home in Woodcrest.**_

_** "We'd always have time for you, Sean," Mrs. MacPhearson said as I shook hands with Mr. MacPhearson. We all sat down in the living room and Mr. MacPhearson momentarily pressed the pause button on his game. "As you both know, I'm taking Cindy up to France for her birthday."**_

_** "Yes and she's so lucky. It's nice of you to surprise her like that," Mrs. MacPhearson said.**_

_** "Well, that's not the only surprise I plan on doing while we're there. I plan on asking her to marry me," I told them. While they both had expressions of surprise on their faces, Mrs. MacPhearson's face was filled with glee. She got up and hugged me. "I wanted to do this right, so I'm asking for your blessing beforehand."**_

_** "Yes! Of course I want you to marry her, we love you so much. Don't we Randall?" Mrs. MacPhearson looked over at her husband; he had a lot on his mind.**_

_** "Are you sure you're ready for marriage? It's an uphill battle," he said, speaking at last.**_

_** Yes, I love your daughter and I want to do right by her," I said.**_

_** "Cindy loves you too, but I don't think you're The One for her. I know my daughter more than her own mother and I'm not sure—"**_

_** "Randall, stop that! We've been talking about Cindy getting married for the longest time," Mrs. MacPhearson interrupted. "Sean is perfect."**_

_** "I know how much you love Sean, but this our daughter's future. Do you really want Sean marrying her…even after all the times they've separated and got back together within the past three years? If they get married and things don't work out, then what's going to happen?"**_

_** "They are not going to get divorced," Mrs. MacPhearson said.**_

_** "I understand you're a little uneasy about this, Mr. MacPhearson and you have every right to be, but I love your daughter with all my heart and I would do anything for her. I'll make the marriage work, I promise."**_

_** "I have nothing against Sean, but I don't think you're The One. I don't think you're her true love, she might say she loves you, but I've seen her heart broken before and I caused it by moving here. I want her to be happy," he said. "You say you make her happy; then ask her for her hand in marriage. And she'll say yes because it's honorable, but if she ever sees her true love again…she will definitely choose him over you because it's her happiness at stake."**_

_** "I'll be happy with her and she'll be happy with me, I'm sure of it," I said as I stood up. Mrs. MacPhearson walked me out, but by the time I got back in my car, the sure feeling I had before entering the MacPhearsons' home vanished. What if she said no? What if I wasn't her true love? But if I wasn't her true love…then who was?**_

_**Setting: Le Jules Verne, Tour Eiffel-Avenue Gustave Eiffel; Paris, France**_

_**Date: July 22**__**ND**__**, 2018**_

_**Time: 20:45**_

_**Cindy MacPhearson…**_

_** PARIS WAS WONDERFUL! It was so beautiful and everything I'd ever imagine. I was shocked when Sean surprised me with the tickets last night. I loved everything about Paris; it was my dream to go here. I couldn't sleep through the plane ride and even though I had jetlag, I couldn't sleep in the hotel room Sean and I rented. On my birthday (which was probably still the 21**__**ST**__** in California), Sean took me sightseeing. He explained that he had been to Paris once when he was younger with his Mother and Father so he knew the best places to go.**_

_**After a long day of sightseeing, we had dinner at this beautiful restaurant called Le Jules Verne. It was built right under the Eiffel Tower and the food was incredible. I almost felt bad for Sean paying for it, but he didn't mind because he had the money. After dinner, we actually went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and the view was amazing.**_

_** "Sean, this view is amazing!" I said out of excitement.**_

_** "I'd do anything for you, Cindy," he said as he wrapped his arms around me. "I love you so much."**_

_** "I love you too," I said honestly. It felt right being with Sean and I honestly did love him, but my heart said otherwise. I had mixed feelings about Sean for the past few years, but he makes me happy and that's what I want more than anything…happiness. I felt his arms remove from around my waist and turned to see him bending down on one knee. Wait…what? Is he proposing?**_

_** "Cynthia Alice MacPhearson, I loved you from the day I met you and I want you in my life…forever. Will you marry me?" Oh, my God he proposed to me. In my favorite place. In front of all these people who are expecting me to say yes! If we were alone, I would've kindly refused. I told him I wasn't ready for marriage we were fine as we were. Two more years and by the state of California we would've been married.**_

_** I started crying as I nodded my head. "Yes, I'll marry you." Sean elated as he was, got up and swung me around, kissing me as he did. The people around us clapped, I'm sure they would be talking about this when they got home. I was crying, but not because of the fact that I would be the Mrs. Sean Jameson, but because a part of me knew something wasn't right.**_

_**End of Flashback**_

**A/N: I'M FINALLY DONE! First and foremost, I am so sorry that this chapter came out later than I planned. I thought it was going to be done by Saturday, but of course I was busy and yesterday was Easter Sunday so I couldn't do it then either because of family stuff. My niece tried to find some chocolate eggs, it was adorable! Anyways, this is the longest chapter of this FanFic I've written and it drained me. I am seriously drained, people, but I do hope ya'll love it because I worked hard on it. I'm probably going to rest up and think about how I'm going to do this next chapter, so if you haven't caught up yet then this week would be the perfect week to do that. I will talk to you all later, please review, favorite this story, and follow it. Until next Friday. If you have suggestions for the next chapter, then let me know when you review and I will consider putting it in there.**


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